The Sheikah
by thewindsong
Summary: "Because his story didn't start with a land falling into war. It started with a small, blue-eyed boy that had unknowingly made him his the very first time he'd opened up his mouth." Link's family is forever broken. He'll admit that meeting a Sheikah boy changed his life. Honestly, it saved him. m!Sheik/Link slash. Thoroughly AU. Give it a try, it's been getting excellent feedback!
1. Desert Encounters

**This is an AU story, and it's a m!Sheik/Link story, so if that's not your thing, you now know that this isn't your cup of tea.**

**I'm also fully aware that in cold, hard reality, Sheik is Zelda in disguise, but for the purposes of this story, he is his own person. (Because I was secretely devastated when Sheik was revealed to be Zelda)**

**TRIGGER WARNING: This story does contain themes and instances of abuse and rape. Just putting this out there as a warning to those who are affected by those subjects.**

**And if you're still reading by now, thanks for giving this story a chance! I hope you enjoy reading it ;).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

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**The Sheikah**

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**Chapter One- Desert Encounters**

The moon rode high in the foggy night, illuminating the small band of weary travelers. Four of them there were: a father, and three brothers. They were travelling north to Castle Town to report to the King the carnage and murder currently underway in Faron and Ordonna.

Barbarians had crossed the border into Hyrule from the neighboring kingdom across the mountains, Dacoda. They brought with them cruel intentions, havoc and horror; raping and pillaging. Murder. They had taken over all of the forest villages in the Faron and Ordonna provinces, as well as Hyrule Field, attacking the villages and then taking their spoils of war. The men in the family had barely escaped with their lives. The boy's mother and elder sister . . . well, they had not been so lucky. That was precisely why they were crossing the desert to reach Castle Town. They weren't going to report the invasion, as the royal family was sure to know already, but to demand action to pay for the blood of the innocent—their families—that had been spilt.

Link looked up at the stars, sending a swift and silent prayer to Farore, the goddess of courage, for that was what he needed now: courage. He had two brothers: Jasten, two years older than Link; and Davin, the eldest and a year ahead of Jasten. They were both sleeping near the fire, sprawled on the ground, and wrapped in blankets against the cold. Link's father, Brock, sat across the fire from him. He was mending a tear in Jasten's pack with a needle, thread, and a clumsy hand. He swore as he pricked his finger for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Noticing Link's stare, Brock looked up from his work. "Shouldn't you be getting your rest, son? Lot of ground to cover tomorrow." Link's father was a man of very few words.

"Can't sleep." Link looked back up at the stars, quickly locating his favorite constellation: a bleeding eye.

"Try," his father advised.

Link sighed and threw his bedroll on the ground, flopping down onto it. His father eyed his insurgent display of 'going to bed' with a stern expression, and Link soon stopped making a fuss over it. "Will we reach the desert tomorrow?" Link asked, yawning as he laid his head on his pillow.

"About midday," Brock grunted. Jasten snored, rolling over onto Davin, who pushed him away in his sleep. "I told this to your brothers, Link, but I'll say it again. We're coming up on Sheikah country." Link nodded as he continued. He had already known. "Listen, boy. I want you to steer clear of any you may see. They're not to be trusted, and I don't want my son near them if I can help it. You can't trust a Sheikah as far as you can throw him."

"But what about the Gerudo?" Link asked, referring to the other, less magical desert tribe.

"Listen, boy. Hylians have bad blood with the Sheikah. The Gerudo, they'll leave you alone, 'less there's something of yours that they got their eye on. But the Sheikah? They'll kill you soon as look at you."

"But I thought they were the guardians of the royal family?" Link yawned, suddenly more tired than before.

Brock fixed his son with a stern look. "They are not to be trusted, son. I don't want you or your brothers anywhere near them if I can help it. If we do cross their path, you keep quiet and let me deal with them."

"All right, all right," Link growled, rolling over. He didn't get the big deal. Why did so many Hylians hate the Sheikah? The 'red-eyed sand devils' many called them. All they had ever done was protect the head of the country; even give up their very lives, if necessary. He had always thought it was the magic in the Sheikah's blood that the Hylians feared. Unexpected occurrences were said to happen around Sheikah, and no one could explain why. Not to mention it was a rare few of them who even spoke Hylian.

"Link," Brock growled.

"I heard you!" Link covered his wheaten hair with his pillow, hiding from the wrath of his father's blind prejudice. He rolled over, convinced. Surely the Sheikah couldn't be all bad. Sure, he believed most everything he heard about the Gerudo, a desert tribe of tan-skinned women. They were said to be night terrors, thieves of darkness. Murderers and traitors, among other things. And they had earned every bit of the gossip shared about them. But nothing was ever spoken about the Sheikah apart from jeering and name calls, except for the times in history when they had died saving the royal family of Hyrule. That sounded noble to Link, not dark. He was, for one, intrigued by the red-eyed desert-dwelling mysteries that were the Sheikah.

It was with these thought in his head that Link fell asleep, shivering slightly underneath the stars. If he did meet any Sheikah in the next couple of days, Link decided he wouldn't treat them any differently than any other Hylian or Hyrulian he may meet.

The next day Link, Jasten, Davin, and their father crossed into the sand of the desert. It was everything Link had expected: hot, barren, dry, and nearly unbearable. They were running out of water faster than they could afford to if they wanted to keep their lives. The Gerudo Desert was a death trap.

But it was also many things that the young teen had not expected. It was beautiful, the sandy dunes rolling over themselves as far as the eye could see. Link was chastised on several occasions for not keeping up when he had merely stopped to take in the titanic measure of it all.

He could definitely see why the Sheikah and Gerudo had made their homes among these lands. The forests of Faron and Ordonna suddenly seemed very closed-in and cramped to Link.

"Link, quit daydreaming and keep up!" Jasten shouted from a few hundred feet away, and Link snapped to attention, jogging to catch up.

"You have to stop that, Link." Davin looked at him worriedly. "We don't want to get separated in a storm."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Link looked at the ground as he walked, wiping the golden bangs from his eyes. Brock didn't say anything on the matter, but Link knew from experience that he was thinking more than a few things.

"I'm serious," Davin warned before continuing on at a faster pace, Jasten joining in. Link slowed down a bit in order to walk by himself, leaving his brothers at the front, his father in the middle, and him lagging behind at the rear.

Link looked up, watching a hawk soar over the midday sun, screeching its cry before swooping down to the dunes. The hawk didn't come back up with its prey, however, which Link thought was odd. Soon, a desert coyote, alerted by the cry of the hawk, trotted over to investigate, Link watching all this from several hundred yards away. The coyote disappeared behind the dune, just as the hawk had, and that was when Link heard its strangled yelp.

Link looked around him worriedly. There wasn't much in this desert besides small prey, foxes, coyotes, and leevers. Even seeing the hawk seemed unusual. Looking back to the dune, as he watched, the hawk took off into the sky, and a figure, the coyote's body balanced on its shoulders, stepped out from behind the wall of sand, heading for the west.

A Sheikah.

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**Thanks for reading! Pleas drop me a review if you have the time. I'd love to hear what you all have to think. :)**


	2. Tales of Service

******Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**  


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**The Sheikah**

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**Chapter Two: Tales of Service**

Link had to hold his breath to keep from gasping and giving away his family's position. Had he just seen a _Sheikah_ hunting? He was unsure, because the figure he had seen appeared smaller than an adult; but it had definitely been male, so it could not have been a Gerudo. He came to another amazing realization. The Sheikah used _hawks_ to hunt! How could they have accomplished that? It must take years of training the bird to get it to work for someone like that!

"Link!" Davin bellowed at him once again, startling Link. The figure he had been watching froze, whirling around to stare directly at him. Link swallowed nervously. He was caught in that Sheikah's sight; he couldn't bring himself to move or even to run. It was like a spell. The mysterious Sheikah hesitated, watching Link from a distance. Then he threw himself forward, sprinting with sure footing in the same direction he had been heading before, no doubt to alert his tribe of the outlanders.

Well, their cover was blown anyhow. "Davin, you idiot! You just gave away our position!" Link shouted back. His family all turned to watch the lithe figure loping across the sand, hawk flying low above his head.

Link ran to them. Brock grabbed his collar and pulled him close, calling his brothers over as well.

"What're we going to do?" Jasten looked bewildered but determined, as if he thought he could fight off an entire village of the Sheikah that their father had taught them so well to hate.

Brock sighed. "They will find us no matter what we do." He hung his head low. "I feared this."

"I'm sorry, dad, I didn't know," Davin whispered.

"Maybe they're friendly," Link suggested. Although this most likely wasn't true, Link figured a bit of optimism wouldn't hurt anybody. Brock just glared at him, and Jasten looked irritated. But Davin's eyes were sad, as if he wanted to agree with his little brother, but was afraid to.

"Yeah, Link, and maybe it wasn't you who tripped over the milk bucket and spilled a week's worth of milk everywhere last year either," Jasten sneered. "You told everybody a squirrel had done it!"

"Look," Davin pointed to where the Sheikah boy had disappeared behind the sandbanks. There were five of them now, four new ones, one the same boy from earlier, all galloping on horses towards them swiftly. Swifter than any horse ought to have been on the unsure footing the sand provided.

Link was yanked backwards. "Link, keep behind me, and goddesses, keep quiet," Brock growled as the horses approached. He stood between the approaching Sheikah and his sons like a brick wall.

"Hylian!" the lead Sheikah barked out. He had long blond hair, reaching nearly to the small of his back and blood red eyes that seemed to pierce through Link as he stared with wonder. "You are trespassing on Sheikah hunting grounds! Explain yourself!"

"We weren't hunting," Brock said slowly. "We're just passing through."

"Why not use Hyrule field?" the Sheikah demanded. "Is that not why it was cleared in the ancient years? As an agreement to keep the Hylians off our tribe's land?"

"This desert is as much a part of Hyrule as that field!" Brock shouted back. "We have every damn right to be here!" What he failed to mention was that they weren't just exercising their rights as Hylians. Hyrule field was currently the camping ground of the Dacoda men who had destroyed their village.

While they fought, Link let his eyes wander over the rest of them in open wonder. Each of them had sandy blonde or light brown hair and eyes the color of red wine. They were all very slim, Link noticed. Their musculature was lithe and well proportioned, rather than bulky like his father or the men back in his home before. The Sheikah boy who had first spotted them now had the hawk resting on his shoulder; its talons were digging in, though he did not show pain. He had a soft, pleasant face; and unlike his tribe-members, though he did seem a bit suspicious, he was gazing with unguarded curiosity at all of them. His blond hair was cut shorter than the leader's, about the same length as Link's, just reaching to graze his neck. Link decided he was very nice to look at, and gazed back from where he stood behind his father.

"If you are just traveling through, then allow us to offer our aid. Come to our village. We will fill your water skins as well as your stomachs." The lead Sheikah smiled warmly, nodding.

Link's father squared his chin. "No, we'll just keep on our _own_, if it's all the same to you."

Link gazed at his father in astonishment. They had no water left, and very little food. Without the Sheikahs' help, they could very well die out here in the unfamiliar terrain. Link had to say something. He would not see him and his brothers die over his father's old prejudice and superstitions.

He stepped forward, past Brock and Davin, turning his back on the Sheikah to confront him. "Father, what are you doing? We _need_ them." Link turned and locked eyes with the Sheikah on horseback who had spoken to them. The man smiled, eyes glowing with . . . something Link could not place.

"Link, you get back. This doesn't concern you!" Brock growled under his breath while Link's brothers just watched in shock.

"Yes it does!" he shouted back. "If we don't accept their help, we'll die out here! Bite down your pride, unless you want to see more of your family die because you did _nothing_ to stop it!" The silence was awful. Link's father glared at him with what could only be described as loathing. Jasten and Davin looked at each other, waiting for Brock to say something, to strike Link, anything.

What Link had said was truly awful. Part of the reason their mother and sister had died was because of his father's stubborn pride. He had refused to leave their home, insisting that they could fight back, stick it out until the barbarians grew tired and left. He had ignored all the warnings. Their house had been invaded not long after that.

"Link, I warned you to hold your tongue, and so help me, if you don't stand down this moment, you and I will be having trouble." Brock's eyes spewed anger and betrayal.

Link narrowed his eyes and raised his chin, exemplifying his defiance. "If you don't accept their offer of hospitality, then _I_ will. You can leave without me. I'll find my own way to Castle Town. I'm not dying so you can keep your pride."

Brock's fists clenched as he fought down his rage. "Son, I will _not_ tell you again."

"I'm staying," Link insisted. A few things happened very quickly right then. The words had barely left his mouth before his father took a swing at him. The lead Sheikah was off his horse lightning quick, grabbing Brock's wrist in a firm hold. The Sheikah boy had lunged forward and grabbed Link around his waist, pulling him back and away from his father to safety. Link stumbled backwards, bringing both of them to the ground and falling into the other boy's lap with an 'umph.' Link turned around in the Sheikah's hold to look at him and blinked, embarrassed. The Sheikah's eyes were full of concern and a bit of anger as he gazed back.

"We do not condone violence towards youths," the lead Sheikah warned, eyes narrowing as he restrained Link's father. "Each child from Farore is a gift, not a possession to be thrown around."

"Father," Davin spoke up, his voice hoarse. "Maybe we should go with them. Link's right. We could die."

Brock's eyes never left Link's, even as the lead Sheikah helped the boy to his feet, patting his shoulder. Link took it as a warning. As soon as they weren't being watched, Link would pay for what he had said, for defying his father. "Fine," Brock growled, finally looking away from Link. "Thanks."

The Sheikah only nodded. "I am Fen, and these are Quill, Lenwing, Kayun, and Sheik." He gestured to all of his companions in turn, ending with the Sheikah who had pulled Link away. Link looked at him and he smiled back, his slim body clothed in a thin billowy white shirt and tan capris. "I am afraid that not all of us can speak in your language. Sheik will translate if you wish to speak to any of us in our tongue."

"I'm Brock, and these are my sons Davin, Jasten, and Link."

"Excellent! Now that introductions are through, shall we continue to the village?" The hawk on Sheik's shoulder screeched out an affirmative, and the boy chuckled, stroking its sleek head.

Brock, Davin, and Jasten took up the middle, following behind the Sheikah on horseback while Link hung back behind, fearful of his father. The Sheikah boy soon joined him, looking over at him from time to time with quiet and patient curiosity. Link kept his head down, fear and worry growing in him like a weed.

"Are you worried about your father?" he finally asked as the hawk screeched once again, taking off from his shoulder. The coyote he had killed was now tied to the back of one of the horses.

"Yes," whispered Link, not seeing the point in lying. "I've never seen him get that angry in front of strangers before. Th-thank you, by the way."

Sheik smiled sadly. "Do not worry, Link." Link looked up at the use of his name. "He can't harm you in my village. That sort of thing is not tolerated among our race."

"Thanks," Link murmured, frowning. Brock had always been very hard on him, but ever since... what had happened, it had gotten so much worse. It was hard now for Link to remember before the invasion. Those happy, sweet memories were too painful for him to call upon just yet, knowing he could never have them back.

"You will like the village," Sheik said, smiling, knowing to change the subject. "It's small; one of many across the desert, but it is home."

His heart hurt at even the thought of the word 'home.' His had been taken from him. "I saw you hunting," Link commented, changing the subject once again.

Sheik chuckled, and Link looked over to see him brushing the sandy hair from his eyes. Eyes that flashed ruby in the sunlight; a vast difference from Link's own sapphires. "Yes, with Kaiden. She made a nice find today."

"Is Kaiden the hawk?" Link asked curiously.

"Yes, she is. Kaiden seeks out small prey, sounding her cry, which causes other predators to come see what is there, and when they show up..." Sheik trailed off, indicating the quiver on his back with a smirk.

"That's amazing," breathed Link.

Sheik laughed aloud, his red eyes flashing. He whistled into the air, and Kaiden came swooping down, perching on the boy's extended arm. He didn't even wince when the bird landed and sunk in her talons. That was when Link noticed a leather bracer on his forearm, and felt silly for thinking the Sheikah immune to the pain the sharp claws were capable of administering. Sheik extended his arm, and Link put his hand up in front of Kaiden. She regarded his finger for a moment before nipping it affectionately and allowing him to stroke her head. "Kaiden likes everybody," Sheik said warmly, letting the bird take flight with another screech. "She's a big baby. Always has been."

"She's—great!" Link found himself struggling for things to say. He didn't want the first Sheikah he met to think him a boring old Hylian.

"I'm sure she is grateful to you for your kind words, Link." Sheik looked at him brightly, and Link had to turn away to avoid the other boy seeing his blush. They were quiet for a while longer. It was not long before a small village appeared from amongst the sand. Nearby the collection of tents was a small oasis nestled against a ridge, palm trees guarding a large pool of water from the summer heat. "It is fed by an underground spring underneath the rock," Sheik explained as Link gaped in wonderment.

When they arrived at the Sheikah village, they were greeted with silent, yet curious stares. It seemed as if the tribe was just as interested in the Hylians as at least Link was of them.

The lead Sheikah, Fen, had taken them to the chief of the tribe, a middle-aged man with a handsome face, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. He gave Link and his family his blessing in broken Hylian and consented for them to stay at the camp for a time. Link was incredibly excited about the whole situation and stuck to Sheik like glue, even when his family had gone to retire in their appointed tent. Link never tired of asking Sheik questions about everything to do with his life. And likewise, the Sheikah boy seemed to be equally interested with Link, if not amused by him. He wanted to know what life was like in the forest provinces, what it was like to have brothers (for Sheik was an only child), and why Link and his family were traveling to Castle Town.

They walked among the tents in the Sheikah camp, stopping finally when they reached the pool of water at the edge of the village, snuggled up against the ridge wall.

"I think I'd love to live out here," Link mused after a short lull in their conversation. "It seems like there's an adventure on every sunrise."

Sheik chuckled, looking at the sand with bright, fiery eyes. "Well, I for one think your forest sounds lovely. I can't get over the idea of . . . trees. I know what they look like; I've even seen a few, but the amount you described..." Sheik shook his head, grinning. "What it would be like to live a day in your shoes."

"You wouldn't want to," Link murmured quietly. "My life," he swallowed, not quite able to get the right words out, "It hasn't been . . . good—all the way through."

"Whose has?" Sheik commented, sitting down on the hot sand. Link joined him, their legs brushing slightly as they watched the pool gently ripple as the hot breeze stirred it.

Link shrugged, smiling slightly. "So you said you don't have any brothers or sisters?" He was more than happy to change the subject.

"No, my father left for Castle Town after I was conceived and my mother, after I was born. They were called to fulfill their oaths to Hyrule, and serve the royal family." Link nodded. Even he knew the story of the Great Betrayal, when the Sheikah were tricked into servitude by an ancient Hylian king. "The Sheikah you saw this afternoon? Fen?" Sheik continued. "He took me in, along with his wife, and they raised me until I was old enough to begin training."

"Training?" Link asked curiously.

"Yes. To be instated as a guard to the royal family. I'll be ready for duty when I'm seventeen."

"When will that be?" Link asked, swallowing.

"A little more than a month. I've exchanged a few letters with my parents. They no longer serve in the castle, but they have arranged a position for me as the Princess's personal bodyguard." Sheik had a sad smile fixed on his lips.

"You don't sound particularly happy about it," Link observed.

Sheik was quiet for a time before saying something that Link was quite sure he was the first to hear. "It's not something I would've chosen for myself."

"You did not choose it?" Link asked curiously, looking at Sheik, his eyebrows knitting together when Sheik's blood red eyes met with his sapphire blue.

"No, I didn't." His eyes narrowed, and he looked away, his bangs obscuring his face from view. "I wouldn't. I hate that a race as proud and able as ours could be bound to such a silly fate. Taking a crossbow to the chest to protect the head of a race that has hated and condemned us without reason for centuries."

Link sighed, feeling empathy for his new friend. "I don't understand it much myself. The only thing my father hates more than the Sheikah is the men that killed my mother and sister. If he hadn't seen them with his own eyes, he would probably have blamed the massacre on your people. I've never understood why. Your people have always fascinated me. When I was little, I used to pretend I was a Sheikah hunting. Silly little games like that."

Sheik forced out a little chuckle. It was clear that he was very upset with what his life was becoming. But, perhaps like Link, he didn't have a choice.

"You could run away, escape fate," Link suggested, trying to hide the hopefulness he could hear in his own voice. He felt an odd connection to Sheik, almost as if the boy understood him in a way no one else did. Something stirred deep with Link. He could imagine running away and living with the Sheikah boy.

Sheik got that sad smile on his face once again. "And go where? I would be caught and killed for my betrayal. Is it really worth dying to not live a life that I'll be adept at anyway?"

"That life will kill you," Link murmured, saddened by the Sheikah's resolve.

"Any life I live will kill me." Sheik would not look at Link. "There is nothing to be done."

Link didn't say anything further, afraid of upsetting the boy even more than he already had. After some time, Sheik stood. "I need to return to camp. There are chores that I must see to."

"Okay," was all Link could get out before Sheik marched away, leaving Link sitting at the edge of the pool alone.

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**Please leave a review if you have any tips, comments, or questions. I love hearing from everyone! ^-^**


	3. Parting

**I've decide to include some suffixes in the Sheikah's speech to convey titles and such. Here's a chart so nobody gets confused:**

**To one of lower rank/status: -_líta_**

**To one of equal rank/status: -_parí_**

**To one of higher rank/status: -_näba_**

**Meaning friend:-_mala_**

**Beloved/One of My Heart:-_nalí_**

**The two I'll be using most are****_mala _****and**_****__nalí._

**As always, thank you for your continued reading, and I hope you enjoy the chapter. ;)**

**************Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

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**The Sheikah**

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**Chapter Three: Parting**

"Where have you been?" Brock muttered angrily as Link entered their tent after Sheik had gone off.

"Talking," Link answered honestly, coming in and flopping down on one of the large pillows dotting the floor.

"With that filthy Sheikah boy that started this whole mess?" Brock's nose wrinkled in distaste.

"Boy, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times." His voice lowered to a hushed tone, and he looked over his shoulder as if there were spies listening in outside the tent's canvas. "Sheikah are slimy curs, and they're not to be trusted. Check your pockets, son, did that devil steal anything from you?"

"My pockets were empty, dad," Link murmured, staring at the floor dejectedly.

"Were they?" he growled.

"Yes!" Link shouted, angry with his father's blind hatred. "He's a good person! Why can't you judge him on that instead of the people he was born from?"

Brock ignored him. "You just stay away from him. They're plotters and schemers, all of 'em."

"Link just has a crush, dad," Jasten snorted, throwing a pillow at his younger brother's head. "He got it for that one named Sheik."

Link's face reddened considerably. "I don't!" He threw the pillow on the floor as Davin watched the whole scene quietly.

Brock fixed all three of them with a harsh gaze, ending on Link. Link got a special look, one filled with disdain and a seething dislike. "No, he doesn't," he said icily. "Not only is that mongrel a Sheikah, but he's a boy as well, and no son of mine is queer, do you hear me?"

Link shrank back against the ground, away from his father's gaze. "Yes, sir." He just didn't see anything wrong with liking another boy; but arguing that point just wouldn't be worth it in this crowd. "But I don't," Link insisted half-heartedly, brow furrowing in a defeat he could not understand. He didn't think he could take it if he was forced to suppress one more part of himself. Link looked up. Jasten rolled his eyes and went back to what he was doing, Davin doing much the same. Brock strode across the tent and sat, facing away from his sons.

Link was left alone. He settled down in a corner, hugging himself and trying not to cry.

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A few hours after he had brought the Hylians into their camp, Fen went to their tent, informing them that meals in a Sheikan village were to be eaten together as a community in the center of the village. "As Hylians, you are new to our ways and practices." Fen glanced at the wheaten blond boy, taking special note of his reddened, puffy eyes. "But all in the village must come together to eat."

"Fine," Brock muttered, clutching the collar of Link's shirt and dragging him along behind; as if the young boy wasn't eager enough to escape the tent. The other two boys followed along in silence.

As Fen watched them walk out, his eyes fell once again on the smallest lad, who couldn't have been any more than sixteen. Betali came up from behind to stand beside him. "Thy Hylians act strangely from us, _nalí_," she said softly in their native tongue. Fen draped an arm around his wife's waist as they walked.

"They've seen great hardship, from what I have gathered. Especially the young boy. The man nearly struck him when we found them out on the dunes," he answered.

"It is such a shame," Betali sighed, fingering the long braid hanging over her shoulder. "I have born you no children yet, Fen-_nalí_, but I think of Sheik as my own."

"I know, _nalí_."

"I cannot imagine raising my hand to him in such a way, no matter what he had done. That boy is too much of a treasure. Any child is."

Fen chuckled, a deep sound resonating from his chest. "And the Hylians look upon the Sheikah and call _us_ devils!"

"Fen, Betali!" Sheik called, running up behind them.

Betali turned, welcoming him to walk with them. "Ah, my _fateson_, I have not seen you since first light," she crooned in Sheikan.

"Sheik," Fen murmured, putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling his _fateson_ close. "You must stay near the Hylian child. Keep him safe from that father of his."

"Broken father, _hûrla_," Betali hissed, uttering the Sheikah curse under her breath.

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"All right," Sheik agreed, hurrying up to the long wooden tables that rested in the middle of the village. He was eager enough to see the Hylian boy again anyway. Sheik peered across the tables and spotted Link, sitting aside his family, and quickly crossed the rapidly cooling sand to claim the seat next to him before another who was curious about the Hylians. He was supposed to be their interpreter anyway, according to Fen.

Link blinked at him as he sat down, surprised it seemed that Sheik had chosen him to sit with. He appeared slightly pleased, but wary as well.

Sheik smiled, noting that the entire broken family was staring at him. The brothers were neutral enough; they appeared bored, even. But the father's eyes shown with hatred and distrust. The man said nothing, looking away with anger.

Sheik ignored him. "I regret leaving you while the day was still so young." He grinned, touching Link's arm with friendly affection. He was more than happy to keep an eye on this boy for Fen, even if both of their futures would allow only a few days of it, perhaps less. "It is good to see you again, Link-_mala_."

"What does that mean?" Link asked quietly.

"_Mala_?" Sheik repeated. Link nodded, and Sheik raised his eyebrows. "I am addressing you as a friend." He suddenly hoped he hadn't been too informal.

A small smile brightened Link's dim expression. "Thank you, Sheik-_mala_."

Sheik laughed into the night. "Yes, that's right! You're getting the hang of it." He gestured around the three long tables, which were ringed in a circle of torches that lit the area and kept the bugs at bay. A large bonfire burned in a space of open ground not too far away from the tables. "This is your first meal with the Sheikah. The table in the center is reserved for the clan chief, Osidian-_näba_ and his family. You met him." The table was currently empty.

"He must have a big family," answered Link, eyeing the long bench seats.

"Aye," Sheik laughed. "All the families in the clan are large. Many go away to marry when they come of age, and bring their husbands and wives back here, which only make them larger. Except for mine—." He sighed. "They've all gone, except for me, and I'll be gone soon as well. I am the last born of my family."

"Unless you have children," Link pointed out quietly, looking at the table.

Sheik snorted, looking away. Link tucked his chin into his chest, trying to hide the redness blooming in his cheeks. Sheik stared at the table and its whirling pattern of grains. This wood had been traded for long ago by Sheikah ancestors. Finally, he said: "I have no wish to father children into a world where they will be made to serve as pampered slaves." He didn't mention that he had no wish to sire a son or daughter if it meant doing _that_ with a woman, either.

"I can understand that," Link murmured, watching him.

Sheik looked up and smirked. "Can you, Link-_mala_?"

Link shrugged, smiling back; his cerulean eyes sparkling in the torchlight. "I can try."

Sheik laughed with joy. "Oh, _mala_!" He grinned, holding Link's shoulder. "You must come hunting with me tomorrow!"

"I would love to," Link murmured, casting a glance over his shoulder at his father. "It—it would be an honor, if time permits."

"I look forward to it," Sheik said, just as Fen and Betali sat down beside him.

"You are getting on quite well with our Hylian guests, Sheik-_líta_," Fen murmured from behind a cup of wine.

Betali leaned over the table, smiling warmly at Link's family. "Welcome to our village young lords; and for you as well, dear sir." Sheik smiled at her broken Hylian. She'd never bothered to learn the language. What she knew she had picked up from Sheik's lessons with Fen.

Link's brothers grinned back at her, clearly taken with her exotic beauty. Even Brock managed a tight smile.

Sheik procured two cups of wine for Link and himself as the food was served. Link eyed the thin liquid with uncertainty, tasting it with obvious dislike. Sheik watched him. "I was that way at first, too. You get used to it. Drink."

"I won't have time to get used to it," Link whispered.

"I know."

* * *

Sheik had dragged Link out of his seat after they had finished eating to dance. The bonfire was broiling at a blisteringly hot temperature now, and many Sheikah were dancing around it as others sat back strumming on harps and blowing out tunes on ocarinas. All of the music weaved together into a magical spell that—with the aid of the wine—had Link believing this was all a dream and he really had died out in the desert.

Link grinned sheepishly, cheeks warm from the wine as Sheik took both his hands, winding him this way and that and in loping circles around the fire. Many watched the Hylian and Sheikah dance together; some whispering in each other's ears that perhaps there was more to this pair than just a dance.

They danced for what felt like hours, but Link knew it had been less than one. Sheik grabbed his arm, hauling him out of the village, to that same spot down by the cool waters of the desert spring they had talked by earlier.

"So—." Sheik said, plopping down close beside Link. "Did you enjoy your first night with the Sheikah?"

Link giggled. "It's so exciting here!"

"Aye," Sheik laughed along. "I will miss it when I am called away."

Link caught Sheik's eye. "So will I."

The crimson-eyed boy smiled sadly. "Your father will take you away tomorrow, won't he? He is eager to leave this place."

Link nodded sadly, his leg brushing against the other boy's as he folded them. "Well, we're both heading for Castle Town eventually—." Link stopped himself, and began again. "At least we had the time we did. I'm glad to know someone like you."

"You won't have time to hunt with Kaiden and me tomorrow, will you?" Sheik asked Link with disappointment.

Link stared dejectedly at the ground, drawing swirling patterns in the sand absentmindedly with his finger. He hated to hear his own sadness reflected in the other boy's voice. "I wish I could."

"Me too." They looked at each other, ruby fire meeting aquatic sapphire.

Link cast his eyes on the sand again, a small sad smile playing around his lips. "I suspect he'll ferret us away sometime in the night or early morning. Will you tell Fen that I'm grateful to him?"

Sheik blinked. "Of course."

"I will miss you, Sheik-_mala_."

Sheik looked up, locking gazes with him. Link's eyes were wide with the emotion he felt building up in his chest. "Nayru tells me that this is not the last we will see of each other," the desert boy whispered. "But until then, Link-_mala_—" He leaned forward, touching his forehead to Link's. "-I will miss you as well."

* * *

**Well, that's the end of it! Leave a review if you have any comments, questions, or if you just liked the story!**

**Next chapter, you ask? Castle Town! ;)**


	4. A Summons

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter Four: A Summons**

"Link, will you quit chasing that damn cuckoo and help me lift these?"

Sheik looked up curiously from where he stood next to Miriam, who was buying specialty groceries which had to be purchased from a Castle Town vendor who hailed from the neighboring kingdom of Termina. What Sheik saw put a grin on his face, but also a warning in his heart.

What he saw was a face he had encouraged himself to forget; for the pain of remembering what it promised was too much for him these days. From across the square, Link—the wheaten-haired Hylian from the desert—jumped down off a crate, casting a dirty look over his shoulder at the cuckoo clucking smugly behind him.

He walked a few paces to where one of his brothers stood next to a cart. Sheik could not remember his name, but he was the younger of Link's two elder. They both began to heave bales of hay onto a small cart. When they had finished, Link's brother climbed into the driving chair, turning the cart around towards the western thoroughfare.

Link, eyes bright and lips moving slightly as if he were talking to himself, followed merrily behind the cart. He looked . . . happier than the last time Sheik had seen him, more than three months ago. Happier than the images of him that Sheik kept pouring over in his mind...

"Sheik?" Miriam looked at him tiredly, her arms full of a dark green leafy vegetable. "Can you take these? We've more to get, and I can't manage it all."

Snapping out of his obsessive observations, Sheik took the greenery from her. "My apologies, Miriam." He looked down at the plants in his arms. "What—what is this?"

"Cilantro. Very rare and hard to grow in Hyrule. One of the Princess's favorites." Sheik nodded, and they continued on through the market. Sheik was just fighting to ignore some jibe a Hylian man had shouted at him when Miriam spoke up again. "What were you looking at just now?"

Her question caught Sheik off guard. "Oh, uh, I just thought that I saw someone I knew, that's all."

"That boy chasing the cuckoo?" She asked, not even glancing up at him for the satisfaction of seeing the tint of redness on Sheik's cheeks. Miriam was an older Hylian, though still very capable. What Sheik appreciated most about her was that she did not treat him any differently for being a Sheikah, whereas all he would receive from most Hylians were sneers and hisses. She also had very observant eyes. Miriam could be incredibly perceptive, it seemed. More than Sheik had anticipated.

"Yes, him," he answered, clearing his throat.

"You shouldn't be getting involved with anyone, Sheik. You are here for a purpose: to protect the princess, not to be chasing boys who chase chickens."

Sheik did not answer, but his cheeks reddened. Link had never been—was never—hadn't ever… let off a sign that he was that way. Had he? Sheik couldn't remember all that clearly, as the last night they had seen each other they had both consumed a considerable amount of wine. Of course, he hadn't protested when Sheik had pulled him down into his lap to save him from his father. He had almost looked bashful during that moment. Sheik had always thought it was some strange anomaly unique to him. Growing up in a secluded desert village, he had never known another person to be drawn to the same gender as he was. It wasn't until he had moved into the castle and seen one or two of the Hylians act in this way that he understood. His expression must have betrayed his confusion, because as they walked, Miriam deemed it necessary to pat him on the back.

"It's fine that you feel these things. It would be odd if you didn't at this age—how old are you, boy?"

"Seventeen," the Sheikah sighed.

"Ah well, you understand my point then. You have a duty to the royal family, and that will always come first. Try to make a relationship work on that, and you and cuckoo boy will be in for a world of hurt."

"Is it hopeless?" He had to ask, and he figured Mary had the experience necessary to give an honest answer.

"Never hopeless, but it won't be easy, and you won't be good at it. I encourage you to refrain from anything besides fulfilling your duty as the Princess's protector."

"I won't. It's been months since I last saw him. He probably doesn't even remember me." _But he has to_, Sheik thought.

"Well, problem solved then, isn't it?" Miriam gave Sheik a pointed look before leaving his side to haggle with another grocer.

Sheik's brow furrowed. He couldn't make sense of his own emotions, much less discern the right thing to do. Looking at the street where Link had disappeared, Sheik tried to push it out of his head._ I must at least try to enjoy the rest of my day._

* * *

Link took the first breath of air he had gotten in nearly a full minute. He had been so busy not blinking and muttering 'Oh Goddesses, oh Goddesses' that there had been no time or need for breathing, or so it had seemed. In fact, he couldn't breathe because his breath had caught in his throat when he had seen Sheik standing there across the square for the first time in months.

But here he was, in Castle Town, just where he had said he was going to be. Maybe later, if Link's chores permitted, he could go down to the castle and ask to see him. Link had so much he wanted to ask his Sheikah friend. Was life working for the royal family better than he had thought? What was the princess like? Was the King tall? Did he have a beard? Did the queen? _Wait, no, that's not right_, Link thought. _Women can't grow beards, even if they are royalty._ Link was painfully uneducated about his nation's monarchs… But he had Sheik to teach him about that stuff now!

"Link, will you quit daydreaming and get on? Dad told us to be quick—not that you know the meaning of the word."

Link jogged up to the cart, hopping up on the back. "Sorry, Jasten. It's just that I saw someone I know!" Link was never one to hide a smile when it really needed to be shown.

Jasten looked at Link out of the corner of his eye as he joined him in the driving seat. "Goddesses, it's not that Sheikah kid you met back in the desert, is it?"

Link's smile widened. "Actually—"

"Goddesses, Link!" Jasten shouted, spurring the horse—Epona, Link had named her—on angrily.

Link frowned, reaching down to pat the mare's mane. "Hey, take it easy on her, she didn't do anything. Neither did I, come to think of it."

"Link, dad is going to be pissed! You know what he thinks about the Sheikah, and you know what he'll do to you if he ever finds out. Especially after you defied him in front of that patrol in the desert."

Link rolled his eyes, though he knew there was truth in Jasten's words. "We would have died if I hadn't done that. And besides, dad can't control my life anymore." Link looked at his brother, almost pleading with him to take his side in this. "Here we are, in this big city with enough room to finally be out from under his control, and all you want to do is exactly what he says. Sheik is my friend, and I'm going to go talk with him, because that's what friends do!"

Jasten shook his head, stubborn as ever. "Sure. But it's a bad idea."

Link laughed without humor. "Look, it's because of my job at the inn that I was able to buy Epona to get my work done, and that the three of you have a roof over your heads. If my manager wasn't pleased with my work there, he would have never rented us that apartment for so cheap. Dad can't say a word or lay a finger on me, or I'll kick him out." More than once Link had wished he was really that brave.

Jasten shook his head again. "I just don't think it's that simple, Link."

Link rolled his eyes. "Jasten, do I get after you for sneaking out every night to see your girlfriend?"

He snorted. "Yeah, but my girlfriend is Hylian, _and_ a girl. Two of dad's favorite things."

Link laughed shakily, suddenly nervous. "Sheik _isn't_ my boyfriend. I haven't even seen him since the desert."

"The way you sound when you talk about him—it's weird. You're not queer, are you?" Jasten looked at him from the side, brow drawn down.

Link drew in a heavy breath. "As in unusual?"

"I'm serious!"

Link was quiet for a moment. How in the name of the Goddesses was he supposed to know? He had never given romance a fleeting thought before, mostly because he had never felt an attraction to anyone. But then Sheik came along, and Link's heart beat faster every time he thought about him. "I don't know. I don't know. Goddesses, I don't know!"

"Look, I don't really care. If you want to be queer, go be queer. Just don't let anything on to dad. Trust me; it's not a good idea."

"I trust you," Link murmured. "But trust me to know that this _is_ a good idea."

"There's a big difference between a good idea and just doing what you want," Jasten murmured.

Link growled under his breath. "Bugger off, Jasten."

"Fine!" Jasten rumbled. "This is your problem. But I'm warning you: keep it to yourself. I don't want to see you get hurt."

* * *

"What's wrong with you, Sheik?" Zelda's ice blue eyes flashed up to where he stood against the wall just inside the doorway. "You haven't said a word since you came back from the market with Miriam, and you're usually talking my ear off whenever I let you go somewhere."

Sheik shifted. "My apologies, Highness. What would you like me to talk about?" He arched his eyebrows ever so slightly over his blood red eyes, meeting her gaze steadily.

"Oh shut up, you. I know you're thinking about something. That's the only reason you'd ever stay silent for so long, is if you're thinking or brooding."

_It's Link_. "Perhaps . . . my mind is somewhere else. Forgive me, Highness." Sheik allowed a small, apologetic smile.

Zelda pushed back from her desk and folded her hands in her lap, turning to face him. "Honestly, Sheik. What's going on inside that thick blond head of yours?"

"I could ask you the same question, Highness," Sheik said with a smirk.

Zelda fixed him with an intimidating gaze. "You're avoiding the question."

Sheik knew he had better back off. Friends as they were, Zelda was still the princess of Hyrule, and his liege lord. "I saw someone in the market today. Someone I didn't know if I'd ever see again." He swallowed roughly around a knot building in his throat.

"Ooh, and something tells me that you very much hoped you _would_ see them again, am I right?" Zelda jumped up, cornering Sheik against the wall. Bless the girl, but she was short, and there was no other word for it. The top of her head barely reached Sheik's collarbone, and her attempting to intimidate Sheik by backing him into a wall was laughable.

"A boy I met in the desert, before I was sent here. He was traveling with his family to tell the King about what happened to his village in the Ordonna Province."

Her eyes lit up as she stepped back. "Ooh! I remember them!" She grew somber. "It was awful, the things they described. My father sent soldiers to drive out the invaders." She glanced back up at him. "Which one do you know?"

"He's the younger. Honey blonde with the huge blue eyes. Pretty short. A bit shy, maybe. He was probably hidden behind his father or one of his brothers."

Zelda giggled. "You sure remember a lot about him. But I remember the one." Her lips quirked up. "He was cuuute, Sheik. You have decent taste."

Sheik rolled his eyes. "Hush, Highness."

"I want to meet him," she said firmly. "Formally this time."

"You already have."

She rolled her eyes. "Sheik." She said his name like she was giving him a playful warning.

He shrugged in exasperation. "So summon him."

"Maybe I will!" Zelda hurried out of her study, and like the good—albeit reluctant—bodyguard he was, Sheik followed right after her.

"I didn't mean now," he muttered.

"There's no time like the present," she reminded him with a dazzling smile cast over her shoulder before she flit down the hallway like a sprite.

Sheik followed, not knowing what to think. He knew what he wanted to think, but was that proper? _Yes, please, bring him here now, every day. Let him live here at the palace_, he thought. Sheik could have him there, talk to him, and not have to worry about living the life he didn't want to live, because having Link there would make it better. He could slowly ease away from his friend the pain of losing his mother and sister, and they could be together. _No! Don't think that, Sheik! You can't have that! You can't ever have it. You have one duty, and one duty alone. And that doesn't include you falling in love._

"Stay here, Sheik," Zelda instructed, stopping him outside another room. "I need to tell Paul to go and fetch the boy for us—oh, speaking of which, what's his name?"

Dare he say it? "Link."

"Excellent! Now stay here, Sheiky, like a good boy, and I'll go get the Royal Messenger to fetch Link for us."

Sheik sighed, turning on his heel and walking back to the servant's corridor, where his room was.

If he was to be put through this embarrassing situation by the princess, he would hide until the very last moment. Maybe Link would be happy to see him. He wasn't already with someone, was he? _What? Where did that thought come from? Shut it, Sheik, and just let it be._

* * *

Link was sitting at the table in the small kitchen of their apartment, next to Brock and Davin. Jasten was out late, wooing his girl. Not that Link particularly cared about his absence.

"What's that you're reading?" Brock muttered from around his dinner, gesturing to the book that was taking precedence in front of Link over his meal, which had been pushed aside.

Link looked up from his borrowed tome of Hyrule's ancient histories. "Creation myths—." A knock at the door cut him off.

Brock glanced up at it, his eyes narrowed in a deep scowl. "Davin—" he said, but Link's brother was already answering the door. Outside in the cramped hallway stood a man in fine linens with the crest of the royal family stitched into his jerkin. Seeing that this man was from the castle, Brock stood up and shouldered his way past Davin. He leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms. "Can I help you?"

Link stared wide-eyed from his chair as the page cleared his throat. "I come bearing a royal summons from the princess of Hyrule. Does a 'Link' reside here?"

Link swallowed. _What in Nayru's name have I done now?_

Brock glanced back at him; it was pretty obvious that he was thinking the same thing. "Boy, what did you get yourself into now?"

"I—I don't know," Link stammered, looking back and forth between the man and his father. Brock took a menacing step towards him. Link flinched back into his chair, clutching the edge of the table.

"Good sir!" the page insisted. "The boy is in no trouble! The princess merely wishes to speak with him."

"Princess Zelda?" Link asked quietly, bewildered. He got up and shuffled towards the door, shrugging on his coat. Just as he was about to step over the threshold, Brock shot a hand up, blocking his way.

"Listen, he's my son, and I'm not letting you take him until you tell me what is wanted with him." He glared at the page.

Ducking under his arm, Link turned back with a saddened scowl. "Since when did you start caring about what happens to me?" he challenged. When no answer came, he stalked down the hallway and out of the building, following the page towards Hyrule Castle.

* * *

**Comments? Questions? Tips? Leave a review, if you'd like! Thank you! ^-^**


	5. A Fateful Reunion

**Took a little long to get this chapter up, but I hope everyone enjoys it all the same!**

******Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter Five: A Fateful Reunion**

Link couldn't help it; as soon as he saw _him_, all of his confusion melted and he rushed forward, a heart-warming grin setting his face alight. "Sheik!"

The Sheikah's face remained flat and impassive, which crushed Link. He stopped dead in his tracks, wondering what he'd done wrong. But then he remembered himself, and sank to his knees faster than a keese could flock to a burning torch. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I forgot myself. I meant no disrespect."

The princess motioned for him rise, smiling with understanding. "That's all right, I think it's sweet."

Link blinked a few times, a small smile slowly spreading on his face. "Highness, if I may ask, what is the reason you called me here?"

"Oh that." She smiled, crossing her legs as she shifted her weight around on the uncomfortable throne. "Sheik was just telling me about how he saw you in the square earlier. So naturally I simply had to see what you were like and make your acquaintance properly. Anyone who can draw the attention of a strapping young Sheikah is definitely worthy of note."

Link tucked his chin into his chest to hide his embarrassed smile. Risking a glance at Sheik, Link was astonished to find him glaring daggers at the princess with all his might. Zelda followed Link's confused gaze and laughed when she saw Sheik's face. "Lighten up, Sheik. I thought you would be happy to see him again." When Sheik remained silent, Zelda rolled her icy blue eyes, grinning at Link before turning back to the Sheikah. "Go ahead, speak!"

Sheik's eyes immediately flashed to Link, though did not directly look at him. "Hello, Link," he said, sounding strained. "Forgive me for my previous silence. I am not permitted to speak when my liege lord is addressing a subject. I am surprised she did not remember that were anyone listening, I could be punished for such a transgression." Sheik threw another dirty look in her direction before turning back to Link. "But . . . I am happy to see you, Link." He let a small smile form on his lips.

Link grinned openly, feeling very small under the gazes of both the Sheikah warrior and his princess. He looked very intimidating in his uniform. It was blue and armored and conformed to his body in ways that left little to the imagination. He wore a white tabard bearing the insignia of his people. It wouldn't have been a big deal to most, but Link knew it was important to Sheik to have a piece of the desert—his home and culture—with him here.

Sheik looked at Zelda for a moment, contemplating something, before stepping forward down the small collection of steps. "I take my leave, Your Highness." He grabbed Link's arm, hauling him out of the throne room. Link cast a worried glance over his shoulder, but the princess only appeared amused by the spectacle, a small smile fixed just below her brightened eyes.

* * *

Sheik stalked out of the throne room, a baffled, blue-eyed boy in tow. "Won't you get in trouble for that?" Link asked, taking his arm back after the door had shut.

He didn't answer, but grabbed Link's arm again, leading him through many twists and turns through the castle that the boy was sure to forget and get lost if he had to find his own way out. They finally came upon the castle courtyard. It was a private place; no guards were in sight. There were small ponds with ducks dabbling about happily, a miniature hedge maze, a large fountain with a carving of the triforce spewing out water, and several stone benches all about. It was on one of these benches that Sheik sat, pulling Link down with him.

Link laughed nervously. "What was that?"

Sheik—for the first time in many long months—locked his blood red eyes onto the sapphire blue that were Link's. "Zelda and I . . ." He cleared his throat. "Well, I'll protect her with my life, but she can get these ideas in her head, and sometimes she's insufferable."

"Well, she got us back together, didn't she?" Link tried weakly, but Sheik frowned and looked away. "Umm, I saw you earlier in the square too, when I was with Jasten. I was planning to contact you on my own, but there were chores that needed doing, and it got to be late—"

"It's fine," Sheik murmured, still staring at his lap.

"Are you all right?" Sheik felt a hand on his leg. Link was off the bench, kneeling before him and peering at him with kind eyes. "Do you wish I hadn't come? Because I can go if that's what you want. I'll understand. My dad wasn't exactly thrilled about my coming here anyway."

Sheik looked up at Link, their faces only inches apart. He could see Link's throat quiver as he swallowed nervously. "Did you defy your father _again_ on behalf of the Sheikah?"

Link gave him a cocky grin. "If I could find a reason that would make him angrier, I'd use that instead."

Sheik blinked, wanting to smile at the joke but not being able to find it in him. "I guess I just didn't want you to see me like this."

"Like what?" Link asked, sitting back down.

"Reduced to what I am now—a watchdog of the princess. Actually, lapdog would be a better word for what I am. After you saw me in the desert, happy, I couldn't bear for you to think anything different of me."

Link nodded, looking away. He was playing with the fingers on his own left hand, testing the joints. Finally, he sighed. "Look, I respect that that's how you feel, but I couldn't endure not seeing you when I know you're right here. Meeting you changed my life. In—in so many ways."

"How can you stand to even look at me?" Sheik growled, glaring off into the distance.

Link laughed, and Sheik whirled his head around, not believing what he was hearing. But Link was grinning, his eyes big and sparkling. "How can I stand _not _to look at you, more like." Now it was Link's turn to look away, only this time it was out of embarrassment. "Heh," he said, and scratched the back of his neck. "I guess that sounded a little—"

"No," Sheik murmured, smiling weakly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." They looked at each other for what any onlookers might have said was too long and too intensely for two boys.

"So you're living in Castle Town now?" Sheik tried, glancing away to break the spell of Link's eyes.

"Yeah!" Link joined in enthusiastically; eager as well, it seemed, to get the conversation rolling again. "On the western thoroughfare, in a small apartment building y the stables where I work."

"You got a job?"

"Only one in the family besides my dad," Link said with some pride. "I take care of the horse stalls and things like that. It's hard work, but I like the animals."

"It sounds like a good job for you." Sheik smiled, sweeping his fingers back through his golden hair.

Link watched him do it. "I really missed you." Sheik glanced at him. "I know we haven't spent all that much time together, but you're the best friend I've ever had. And I get that that sounds weird, but I didn't have many friends growing up, and—" Link's eyebrows pulled together, struggling for words as Sheik watched him. A sudden, uncomfortable air had settled between them. Link was tapping his foot nervously, glancing at all the obscure corners of the courtyard. Sheik had no idea what he was looking for, but the mood had definitely shifted.

"If I could find a way to see this straight, Link, I—" Sheik swallowed, blinking slowly.

"You should come by sometime." Link stood up suddenly, wiping at his nose as he turned his face away. "I have to go."

"Link?" Sheik looked up, questioning.

"Goodbye, Sheik. See you later," Link called over his shoulder as he rushed out of the courtyard, and out of Sheik's line of sight.

What could have gotten into that boy's mind to—? Sheik abandoned the thought. Perhaps if he got a chance he would go to see Link later, and tell him what he had been wanting to say: If he could see this straight, he'd run away. That's what he had been trying to say a moment ago; he just couldn't find the words in time. He wanted to tell Link that he could see it was worth it now, to run away. Meeting that boy in the desert had started an entirely new chain of thinking in Sheik's mind. Before they had met, Sheik had viewed his duty as his life; not as two separate things. When Link-small, starry-eyed Link-had first suggested that Sheik didn't necessarily have to live the life that had been chosen for him, it had brought on a new chapter in Sheik's life. A chapter of doing things the way he wanted to do them. He loved Zelda, and he would miss her some, but his freedom meant more to him than that. He needed freedom to be with Link, and that was what he wanted more than anything. To have and to hold the timid, bright-eyed boy and never let go. So what if he was caught and killed? At least it would be on his own terms.

* * *

Link strained to read his book in the dim candlelight. He knew he was hurting his eyes, but he didn't want to sleep, and he couldn't stop reading for fear that his mind would start up again.

He would begin to think of Sheik, as usual, but now there were new elements to his thoughts. Sheik would be back in his desert, the way it was supposed to be. But the sun would be beating down on the Sheikah, and it would be glinting off his slender shoulders and tawny head . . .

And that is when Link would snap out of it, biting his lip and running his hand back through his honey blonde hair. What was his mind _doing_ to him?

As if Sheik would even agree to run off with him. Link had asked before in the desert, albeit in a roundabout manner, but Sheik had still said no; that he would be killed for his betrayal and it wasn't worth it. Today he had seemed more willing. There had been an air of desperation about him, one that Link was anxious to cling on to. Wherever Sheik went, Link decided that that was where he would go, too. That's just how it had to be. Link didn't know how or why, and he certainly didn't understand a lick of it, but he was attached to the Sheikah boy. Emotionally, yes, but there was more to it than that. And based upon how Sheik had challenged the princess's authority to get away with him in the throne room and how he had confided in him all that he did, Link was sure he felt it, too.

There was a way through this all. Link had told Sheik to come by sometime soon. When he did, Link would tell him everything. He'd leave nothing in the shadows. He couldn't. He was getting older and he was desperate for something meaningful to do with his life. His father, Jasten, Davin; they didn't mean much to him. Not after the abuse he had endured over the years by his father's hand and words while his brothers had done nothing to defend or protect him.

Link's eyes narrowed bitterly as he thought about his childhood. The only happy times he could remember had been with his mother and sister. His father hated him; of that there was no doubt in Link's mind. His two brothers and sister were all three older than him, and their parents had wanted more children when they were born. Link had been the mistake child. That's why there was such a difference in age between Jasten and him when compared with the others. Of course, his mother never let him think such things; he had been her pride and joy. But he knew well enough that those days were long gone. Once she died, the shine she had placed on him faded, and now to Brock at least, he was no better than an obligatory piece of trash.

What Link ached for, more than anything since they'd left the forest, was someone to love him. He didn't have that anymore. He missed being close to someone. His lips pursed together tightly as he tried to fight away the thought. He didn't even know why his 'family' kept him around anymore. He didn't mean anything to them other than a place to live . . .

Link's head snapped up from his thoughts as he heard a knock at his bedroom door. "Lights out, Link." Brock's voice came through the wood.

"Shouldn't you be asleep, dad?" Link called back. He knew the risks of talking back to Brock. He knew what spiked his anger and how he vented said anger. But tonight he just didn't care. His thoughts had put him in no position to take any of his dad's shit right then.

His predictions proved correct. Brock turned the doorknob loudly and clomped into Link's room. It smelled as if he had been drinking some. "I said turn out your light and put that Goddesses forsaken book down! Goddesses!" He swore again. "Why can't you ever just _listen_ to me?"

Link looked up at his dad with practiced calm. "I'll put it down when I'm ready to stop reading it, dad."

He could practically see the muscles in his father's body clench. He had wounded his pride. "I think I know what's better for you than you do."

"A bruised face is good for me?" Link countered, and barely had time to close his eyes before Brock backhanded him across the face with all his capacity. The force of hit had him staring down at the blanket, his left cheek and eye feeling as if they had been struck with an iron, it hurt so badly. His eyes watered, but Link held onto the tears that threatened to spill; they would do him no good. Instead, he picked his head back up, brushed the hair back from his eyes, and scowled defiantly at Brock. "Is that it, then?"

Brock turned on his heel, kicking over the nightstand next to Link's bed before slamming the door on his way out.

Link collapsed on his bed, no longer possessing the strength to prop himself up on his arm. He felt drained. He had hoped that life in Castle Town would be better than it was on the road, but it wasn't. Not even close. Closed quarters and four walls meant a place for Brock to do what he pleased without any prying eyes. And though Link threatened to often enough to himself and his brothers, he knew there was no way to throw Brock out of the apartment, even if Link was the reason they had it. Brock was stronger than him, and Link wasn't even close to seventeen yet; and if it came down to it, Davin and Jasten would side with their father. Not their clumsy, whimsical, and outspoken little mistake of a brother.

* * *

**Things are heating up, eh? ;)**

**If you have any comments or questions, please don't hesitate to leave a review!**


	6. Freedom

**The Sheikah**

* * *

Link couldn't say he was surprised—though he thought it cruel of himself to think so. It had been seven days; a full week since he had been summoned to the castle. He had told Sheik to come, to talk, anything. The boy could have stood silently in the corner and Link would have been somewhat satisfied. But . . . at times he caught himself wondering if he had ever truly expected the Sheikah to come. And he knew that that doubt was wrong. Sure, maybe he didn't know Sheik, but he had been kind to him, so surely he deserved more time? More of Link's waiting?

He got it. He understood that as the princess' defender, Sheik was not likely to find time to leave his duties, even for a little while. But Link held faith in the hope that the Sheikah was as desperate as he to leave this life behind. Link could hardly stand it he wanted to leave so badly.

The bruise he had received during the late night book confrontation with Brock last week had faded to an ugly yellow splotch. A much uglier ring of purple circumscribed his left eye now, casting it in shadow. A brand new shiner was not all he had received; a scattering of bruises ran up and down his arms. These were from the night before.

Yesterday after he had finished work, Link had wandered off instead of heading home as he knew very well he was supposed to. It was a bit of depression and a bit of hungering for something new that caused him to break the familiar pattern of his life. Whatever the reason, he had walked out of Castle Town to the bridge just outside the large wooden doors and sat there, watching the sun strike the sparkling river into a rainbow of colors as it set behind the horizon. Link returned after dark, sleepy-eyed and yawning. He'd been barely awake enough to put one foot in front of the other, especially after such a long day at work.

Brock had been there waiting for him. Link had been questioned about where he'd been, and after swearing to his father that he was telling the truth, Brock lost his temper and started hitting him.

It hurt, but Link had kept his mouth shut, taking the blows in silence as they were inflicted. Just like now as he worked on shoveling out the last horse stall at the inn. He was almost finished, and then he might get some rest. _I'll never get used to the smell, though._ Link thought, pausing to wipe his brow.

Link was nudged hard in the back. It was so forceful that he nearly fell face first into the muck he had been clearing. He turned around, sighing. "Epona, I know you want your dinner, but you—." Link paused, examining the stable. Whatever had touched him couldn't have been Epona, because she was closed into her stall three doors down. She was looking at him as if he were an idiot, if horses could have such expressions. Epona rolled her eyes and looked away, flicking her tail in annoyance.

"H-hello?" Link called, gripping his shovel tighter in case he needed to use it as a weapon. He'd never gotten any trouble from anybody before while working here, but all the same, he was ready to swing the shovel if need be. However, no one was around but his obstinate horse.

"Link." A soft voice came from behind him. Link jumped, whirling around and nearly screaming when he came face to face with an upside down Sheik. Why the boy was hanging like that from the rafters Link had no idea; but it was Sheik all right, and that was all that mattered to Link.

Sheik had a hand holding a white cowl around his face, and he wore the same uniform Link had seen him in in the castle. Sheik jumped down to the high wall of the stall, crouching there like a bird of prey. He cast his eyes down in shame. "I'm sorry it took me so long."

Link had to bite his lip to keep in the joyful laughter that wanted so badly to escape from him. "I'm just glad you're here."

Sheik looked back at him, his eyes scanning the bruises on his arms and lingering on the one marring his face. "I only wish I had come sooner." He said pointedly, finally looking Link in the eyes. "I've been making preparations to leave all week. You've no idea how difficult it is, slinking around the castle while keeping everyone in the dark about what it was I was actually doing."

Link's eyes grew wide. "You're leaving?" His heart fell into pieces. Link had vowed to himself that wherever Sheik went, he would follow. What he hadn't taken into consideration was whether the Sheikah would want him along or not.

Sheik nodded his affirmation, perhaps sensing some of the doubt in Link's eyes. "Leaving Hyrule behind. And I'm asking you to come with me." Sheik paused, watching Link, who was sprouting a grin a mile wide. "Of course you know you'd be putting yourself in great danger. They'll send search parties out, looking for me. Not to mention the Hylians' initial animosity towards my people."

"Sheik," Link murmured quietly, wondering what 'animosity' meant—thinking he'd read it in a book somewhere—and looking at the ground. "You know I'd make a fit if you left me behind."

That made the Sheikah smile in relief. "So you will come?"

"You'd have to tie me up to keep me away." Link stepped closer. The Sheikah's knee was at his eye level.

"How soon can you be ready?"

Link took a moment to revel in the fact that Sheik wanted to run away with him. _Him_! "Brock's working and Jasten's out somewhere wooing his girlfriend." Link snorted. "Davin'll be home, but I don't think he'll give me any trouble."

Sheik nodded. "We'll be escaping on foot, so we'll need to hurry."

Link shook his head, gesturing to the horse a few stalls down. "We can take Epona, but you'll have to feed her while I'm gone. I've been so busy today that I haven't had a chance."

Sheik blinked, not looking particularly pleased with the task. "Al-alright."

Link eyed his blue stretch armor. "I'll bring you a change of clothes, too. If you're seen in that, we're dead. No matter where we are. Try not to look at anyone either. Your eyes are a dead giveaway."

"Eyes are considerably harder to change than clothes." Sheik agreed. "But I won't meet anyone's eyes, if I can help it."

"Good. It's better to be safe than sorry." Link answered.

"So I'm to be a Hylian in every sense of the word?"

Link bit his lip, shrugging. "I'd hate for you to be. I love what you are. Just try to blend in."

"I suppose I can manage that." Sheik smirked.

"Alright, I'll be back here in twenty minutes!" Link ran out the door, leaving a perching, slightly baffled Sheikah in his wake. Ten paces later, he turned back and peeped into the doorway. "And don't forget her tack!" With that, he was off.

* * *

Unlocking the door as quietly as he could, Link slipped into the apartment. "Davin?" He called softly.

Davin came into the kitchen, head perked in curiosity.

"Are you the only one home?" Link asked, not daring to let his breath out.

"Of course," His eyes came to rest on Link's shiner, causing him to look down at the floor in guilt.

"Okay, thanks." Link set off again, shrugging past Davin and into his room.

Davin followed him, frowning. "What are you doing back here in the middle of the day?"

Link reached under his bed, pulling out the same pack he had used on the journey to Castle Town. "I'm leaving."

His brow furrowed. "Leaving? Link, you can't just—."

"And why should I stay?" Link countered, his eyes flashing up to Davin's for a moment before he continued packing. "I've become dad's slave, Davin, and he treats me like one. I have to go to work so he can have a place to live. And does any of the money I earn go to building a life for me? No, he takes it. I have to lie about how much I make just to save some away every now and then. Then after working all day, I have to come straight home and talk to him like he's still someone I love. Getting punished for the silliest reasons . . . I'm tired." Link closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the moment he was finally able to put words to these things that had been in his head for so long. "I have to get out of here, leave Hyrule, and see if there's a chance that anyone will ever love me again like I was loved when mom was still alive."

Davin looked hurt, eyes cast down and invisible behind a curtain of dark hair. "Jasten and I—we still care about you." He murmured.

Link hesitated, wanting to say what was on his mind desperately, but not sure if it was a good idea. "Maybe—maybe so, but there's someone else . . . who's . . . better for me than you two."

Davin's face paled, and he shook his head as Link walked past him. "No." His green eyes were wide in amazement. "No, you're not running off with that Sheikah boy, are you?"

Link halted, turning around to stare coldly at his older brother. "How?" He said lowly. No one but him had known about Sheik being in Castle Town.

"Jasten told me."

Link remembered a hasty cart ride home, barely being able to contain his happiness and Jasten guessing who had put a smile on his little brother's face.

Link shrugged letting his steely expression melt back into one of disregard. What did it matter anymore, anyways? "You can't change my mind."

"I wasn't going to. Just—." Davin glanced up from under his bangs, his mouth set into a worried line. "You and he will receive a lot of hardship wherever you go, not just Hyrule, and not just because he's a Sheikah."

"I know . . ." Link mumbled, looking away.

"No, listen to me." Davin pursed his lips. "I know that I've never stood up for you in front of dad, which is what a big brother is supposed to do. I—I hope you can forgive me . . ." Davin suddenly wrapped his arms snugly around Link, holding him tight. "I do love you, little brother." Link squeezed his eyes shut tight. "I wish you wouldn't go, but I really think mom would have wanted you to. You're right; your life is hell here, and you were her treasure. She'd want you to be happy more than anything." Davin turned his head to the side, exhaling against Link's neck. "I'm so sorry, Link. So sorry. Everything went to shit after what happened back home."

Link stepped out of Davin's arms, brow knitted together and poised on the edge of tears. "It's—it's not your fault, Davin." He wiped at his eyes as his brother watched him unhappily. "I have to go." Link stepped backwards, towards the door. "He's waiting for me." Opening the door, Link cast one look back over his shoulder. "I love you, Davin."

"Goddesses be with you, Link. Farore give you courage for the road you have ahead."

* * *

When Link returned to the stables, still wiping at his eyes, he found Sheik sitting on the ground. He was rubbing his head and glaring at Epona, who was chewing her oats innocently. When he spotted Link, he pointed an accusatory finger at the horse. "She kicked me!" He declared. "On _purpose_!"

"Yeah," Link grinned, most of his sadness having left when he caught sight of the boy. He shifted his weight onto one leg as he watched Sheik. "That's Epona for you." Link reached into his pack, tossing Sheik a long-sleeved blue shirt and black pants.

Sheik stood up, grumbling, and started to change, peeling off his suit at the neck. Startled, Link turned his back as quickly as his legs would move, his cheeks blushing a vivid scarlet.

"I think she owes me an apology." Sheik called.

"You're welcome to try for one," Link offered. "But I don't think you'll be all that successful." He skirted around the still-dressing Sheikah and climbed onto Epona, backing her out of her stall.

Link felt Sheik brush his leg and looked down to see him in the new clothes, hair disheveled and clutching a wrinkled blue suit in his arms. The shirt was slightly big on him, and the pants a little too short, but all in all the fit him pretty well. And he still looked better than he did in the suit. Happier. Perhaps slightly more free.

"Are you ready?" Link asked, offering him a hand after stowing away his old uniform for him.

Sheik took it and was pulled into the saddle behind Link. "Ready," he whispered, wrapping his arms snugly around Link's waist.

Link had to look down at Epona's mane for a moment to collect his thoughts. Sheik's arms around him felt good. And right. He hadn't been held like that in his entire life. Tenderly. Nervously.

When Link looked up again, his blood ran cold. His father, eyes filled with mad rage, stood in the doorway, blocking their freedom. "Boy, get down off that horse so I can get at that filthy Sheikah." Brock spat on the ground. "I'll deal with you later."

The arms tightened around him, constricting. "If that is a challenge, I will accept, and you will wish it had never been issued." Sheik growled. It was low and menacing. A feral growl, one that sent a chill down Link's spine.

"Get your filthy hands off my son, you son of a Sheikah bitch!"

Sheik's arms slid off Link as he jumped down from the chestnut mare. His hands—the ones that had been holding him only moments before—balled into fists as he approached Brock.

Link's eyebrows knit together as he watched. His friend looked so . . . small in comparison to Brock. "Sheik," he murmured. The Sheikah paused, turning to look back at him with hesitation. "Please?" Link tried.

"Shut up, you little shit!" Brock bared his teeth, wiping some spittle off his mouth.

"You would speak to your own son in that way?" Sheik took a step away from Link's father as Epona pawed nervously at the ground.

"He's done nothing to deserve anything better!"

"Link has done nothing to merit the way you treat him now! He's your _son_."

"Sheikah scum!" Brock rushed forward, rolling up his sleeves and putting all his strength into taking a swing at Sheik. The Sheikah leapt into the air, back-flipping away at the last moment. Link watched in utter amazement as Brock fell to the ground, landing on his chin. Sheik could do a _backflip_?! Sheik balled his hands into fists once more and took a slow, nerve-wracking step towards Link's father.

"Stop it!" Link cried helplessly from Epona's back.

Sheik glanced back at him, his fiery eyes burning bright. He almost didn't look like Sheik right then. He turned back, eyeing Brock where he had fallen, and the two of them locked eyes. "I am proud of what I am, and your hateful words cannot break me." Link's father stood, dusting himself off, jaw tight with anger. "I am also proud to be leaving this place aside your son. That he would even consider leaving his life behind to come with me is a great honor. I want you to know that you'll lose him forever because of the way you have treated him. He will turn back and look on this day with gladness. All you will ever feel is regret."

Link gaped as Sheik turned away from Brock and climbed up into the saddle, arms right back around him. Link's father gazed blankly at the ground before him, stepping out of their path.

Link opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when Sheik squeezed him sharply around his middle. "No, let's go. He is broken."

Link looked away and raised the reins. "Hyaah!"

Epona was out of the stable and in the street within the blink of an eye. Before Link could bring himself into enough coherency to look back, she was approaching the city gates. There were two guards posted there, and they approached them as soon as Epona slowed to a trot.

"Don't look at them." Link whispered under his breath.

"Names?" One of them asked, sounding bored.

"I'm Link, and this is my brother, Jasten."

The guard glanced at Sheik, but not for very long. He wrote something down in a leather-bound tablet. "Plan on returning soon?"

"No, sir. We're heading north, to the mountains. Have family up there."

"Where'd you get that?" The other one asked, staring up at Link's bruised face.

Link laughed nervously, patting Epona's neck. "Stupid thing kicked me when I was picking her hooves."

The guard raised an eyebrow at link's story, but he waved them through. "Carry on."

Epona trotted through the large wooden doors and onto the bridge. "Nice move, making me your brother," Sheik chuckled in his ear. "Idiot." Link smiled. It seemed they paid much more attention to who was entering the city rather than who was leaving it. There were half a dozen guards on this side and a long line of carts and people waiting to be admitted to the royal city.

"We're free," Sheik's voice whispered in his ear.

Link laughed as Epona galloped southward, in the direction of the forest.

It was wonderful. It really was, to have such possibility before them. They could go where they wished, be who they wanted, and do whatever their hearts desired.

All they had to do now was get out of Hyrule.

* * *

**And out of Hyrule they shall get. Maybe. Ha, you'll have to read to find out!**

**Comments? Questions? Tips? Suggestions? Just leave a review and let me know! ^-^**


	7. Get Away From My Horse You Crazy Sheikah

**I made a point of being quicker on this upload! (AKA I didn't have anything else to do, so I typed this up). Plus, it's a tad bit longer than the others!**

**I want to give a HUGE thank you to all of you who have read and reviewed! You guys and your kind and helpful words make me want to keep writing!**

**Anyways, I'll quit blabbering, and I hope you enjoy.**

**I dub this chapter: "Get Away From My Horse You Crazy Sheikah" ;)**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

It was nearing sunset when Link pulled Epona to a halt. Sheik picked his head off of Link's shoulder where it had been resting and groaned.

"Thought here would be as good a place as any," Link murmured. "We won't come by a town tonight." He surveyed the area. The King had sent soldiers into Hyrule field and the Ordonna province to clear out the barbarians that drove Link's family from their home, and so now the field bore only traces of the philistine brutes. Scorched bits of grass from cook fires, gnarled stumps; it wasn't as bright, but it was still Hyrule Field, and they had to cross it.

"If I never hear another hoof beat in my life, it'll be too soon." Sheik grumbled, spilling off Epona. His sandy hair was disheveled on the left side where it had been resting on Link.

"We've got quite a ways to go yet," Link said quietly, sliding off as well and grimacing as he stretched. He stumbled forward a few paces to where Sheik had planted himself on the ground and flopped down beside him, taking off his pack. "Hungry?"

Sheik nodded without looking at him. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and burying his head in his lap. "I have the headache of a drunkard." He stated.

Link smiled, nudging him with his shoulder. "But you're not, are you? Drunk? After all, before that night in the desert, I had never partaken of the _devil's_ _nectar_."

Sheik snorted, looking sideways at him with skepticism. "It is custom for children to drink wine at Sheikah tables, not this 'devil's nectar'. It's not my fault that all Hylians are stiffs." He sniffed.

"Are you calling me a stiff?" Link gestured to himself, eyes wide and mouth hanging down in mock horror.

"Sober? Yes." Sheik stated, meeting his gaze evenly. But then he smiled, and the boys had a good laugh.

Link chuckled, smiling as he felt his arm rub against Sheik's. All he had gathered at home to eat was a loaf of bread and two apples. He handed an apple to Sheik, biting into the other.

Sheik took the fruit, but wrinkled his nose at it. "What's this?"

"An apple," Link looked at him funny. "Dummy, you've never had one? In Castle Town?" Sheik shook his head, but took a bite anyways. "So, can you hunt without a hawk?" Link asked, getting down to business.

Sheik continued to eat, wiping at a trail of juice that had fallen down to his chin before Link even had to fight the urge to do it for him. "If I had a bow."

"Then we'll have to find a town tomorrow. We don't have a choice. I have some rupees that I've been saving. We can buy provisions and a bow, so we don't have to buy too much food." Link took another bight, talking around the apple. "Then I'd say we should continue southeast across the border into Termina."

"And then?" Sheik eyed Link as he crunched his crisp fruit.

Link shrugged, looking at the gathering darkness. "Get jobs, live lives, I don't know." He stood, wiping his mouth, and walked over to Epona, offering her the half-eaten apple. He removed her tack and placed it on a nearby rock. "She needs watered," Link murmured. Sheik stood and offered his apple to the chestnut mare. It was a peace offering, so that the stubborn thing didn't give him any more trouble like they'd had back in the stable. "I'm going to take her to the stream." It babbled about a hundred feet from where they'd stopped. "Everything's in my pack." Link pulled two blankets from the saddlebags on the rock and tossed them to his friend. "Back in a tick."

* * *

Sheik closed his eyes, lying down on the blanket. Link had packed only two, which made one to lie on and one too few for the two of them to cover up with. Which meant sharing.

He would be back once Epona had her fill and he roped her up to graze. Sheik turned his head, breathing softly. He could feel the peaceful rise and fall of his chest beneath the soft, worn-with-age clothes Link had given him. He liked the clothes. Link had been in those clothes at one time; lived in them, worked, slept. That made them special. Sheik could still see Link and his horse by the stream. The wheaten-haired boy was stroking her mane softly as she drank, and his lips moved; he was cooing to the rotten thing. Sheik smiled.

He was . . . beautiful. He was not tall, but he was well proportioned. Not small like Sheik, but very far from big or bulky. He was smiling at his horse, which warmed Sheik's heart just a little bit.

He had a life with him. They would be great . . . friends. Sheik swallowed hard. Friends . . .

"You know—." Sheik jumped, instinctively rolling his feet, eyes peeled open for danger. Link stared at him with wide eyes, hands up in surrender. "Sorry. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Sheik groaned, falling back down onto the blanket.

"You must have been deep in thought if you didn't hear me coming." Link shook his head, and Sheik noticed that he was slightly pink in the cheeks—as if he had been exerting energy. "Epona—she tried to get away from me—made quite a racket."

Sheik scowled into the distance. "That horse is just asking to be dinner," He grumbled.

Link looked aghast. "What?"

"First she kicks me, and now this! And to think I gave that stupid beast my apple . . . Oh well, maybe at the very least it will make her taste sweeter."

Link moved quickly to stand between the horse and Sheik. "Sheik, you wouldn't—."

"No, of course not!" He sat up, enjoying the momentary expression of relief on Link's face. "I would never. How else would we get to Termina?"

"Sheik!" Link wined, eyes wide in distress.

"I'm kidding!" He laughed, enjoying this very much. "Well, sort of kidding . . ."

"Sort of?" Link looked like he was ready to tear out his hair.

"It wasn't uncommon in the desert to eat a horse when it had gone lame or in times of great hunger."

"Are you saying that you fed me horse meat that night?"

Sheik weighed Link's expression of horror. Perhaps he'd better let off a bit. Or perhaps not . . . "No, I don't think we did that night. Pity, you probably would have liked it." Link swore, and Sheik chuckled, relenting. "Will you come sit down?"

Link sat down beside Sheik, albeit on the other side of the blanket. He was extremely alert, and watching Sheik suspiciously out of the corner of his eye. "Did you tether her?" He asked.

"Why do you ask?" Link said accusingly in a raised, slightly frantic voice.

Sheik saw that this needed to be sorted out. He reached over and took both of Link's hands in his, fixing him with his wine red eyes. "Link," He said, scooting closer. "Listen very closely to me, because this is very important. I need you to know this."

Link's eyes softened. "Sheik, I—."

"Hush, Link-_mala_. Just listen. I need you to hear this. I, and I repeat: I am not going to eat your horse."

Link's soft gaze quickly turned into one of annoyance. Then he deadpanned. "Don't be surprised if she takes a nibble out of you in the middle of the night." He yanked his hands out of Sheik's and flopped down, facing away. He stole the second blanket, grumbling. "Build a fire, will you?"

"With what? It's too dark to search for firewood." Sheik gazed at the curled up lump with fondness.

"Well then go do something useful." Link snapped.

Sheik took a deep breath, pursing his lips. "I deserve this." He said slowly.

"Yep."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Mmhm."

"You have to share that blanket with me, you know."

"No, go find your own."

"Link!" It was Sheik's turn to wine. "It's cold!"

"You should have thought of that before you threatened to eat my horse." Said the lump.

Sheik sat back, gazing at the sky with vexation. "That old mare's got it out for me, I swear." He settled down on the blanket, hugging himself tight to ward away the cold. "She probably worked this whole thing up so we would start fighting. She counted on you not wanting to share the blanket with me. She wants me to freeze to death." Sheik paused, but Link said nothing. "But she'll get her comeuppance one day. Ooh, I swear by it."

The lump threw half the blanket over Sheik. "You don't deserve this blanket." Link turned over to face him, mere inches away. Around his eye appeared black, ringed by his dark bruise. Sheik wished it would fade soon.

"I think I don't deserve you." Sheik murmured, gazing softly at the other boy. Link bit his lip and cast his eyes down, but did not answer.

Every time Sheik tried to initiate . . . anything with Link, the boy just wouldn't respond. Sheik didn't know if it was a refusal or just his inability to see what Sheik was feeling. Either way, nothing was coming of it. Then again, they hadn't spent much time together anyways.

"Link-_mala_?" Sheik tried.

"Hmm?" The boy gazed at him, his golden hair splayed out on the blanket.

"We should talk, you know? Get to know a little more about each other." He bit his lip.

"We know each other." Link murmured, his brow knitting together.

"I've spent less than two days with you. You know that? And here we are, running away with each other. Come on, tell me something I don't know. Like what's your favorite color?"

"Umm." Link looked away as he thought. "My favorite color is green. It reminds me of home, I guess."

Sheik grinned, secretly pleased with himself that he had gotten the boy talking. "Mine's blue. I don't know why for sure." That was partly true. Sure enough, Sheik didn't know the origin of his fondness for the color, but a part of it was Link's eyes, which spoke so much about his kindness and gentle nature. "What do you like?"

"That's kind of a broad question," Link grumbled without enthusiasm. Sheik's guess was that no one had bothered to ask him in a really long time.

"Do your best," He encouraged.

" . . . I like . . . warmth." Link took in Sheik's confused expression and proceeded to elaborate. "I mean warmth as a general term. I like being warm and warm things, sure. But I mean when a person is warm. Like when you know where you stand with them, and it's a good place. They're warm."

"That would make you warm," Sheik pointed out.

"Thank you." A smile curled itself around Link's lips.

"You're very welcome." He thought about his own answer for a moment before putting it into words. "Most of all, I think I like the idea of freedom. To be your own person and do whatever in the goddesses name you want to do. But I think it's important to share that freedom with other people in your life."

"People make life worth living." Link finished his thought.

"Exactly. I can't wait to get to Termina just for that reason. I'm just so excited to live!" They both laughed.

Link quieted, his expression uncertain. "In Termina . . . we're going to live together, right?"

"Of course." Sheik squeezed his shoulder. "I wouldn't go to the trouble of dragging you out of Hyrule just to leave you all alone." Link's face lightened, consoled by Sheik's assurance. "Plus there's the factor of missing you too much. I almost died after three months. Do you really think I'd let you get away again?"

Link's eyes glowed softly. There was pleasure there in their watery depths, but Sheik couldn't quite place where it was coming from. It could have been out of relief that he wasn't going to be left all alone in an unfamiliar place. Or—and this was the theory Sheik prayed to the goddesses was true—he was just pleased with the thought of living with Sheik.

They spent the rest of their time in thoughtful silence. After a few more minutes, Link's eyes finally fluttered close. "Night, Sheik," He whispered.

Sheik nodded, half dozing off himself. "And to you, Link."

* * *

Link's eyes flickered open sleepily. He lay there for a minute, beyond confused, and half of him cold. That's why he was confused. He couldn't for the life of him figure out how it was that half of him could be comfortably warm and the other half freezing cold. That was until the arms around his waist shifted, and a head burrowed itself into his shoulder.

He blinked. "Ah, Sheik?" The warmth shifted again. "Sheik?"

The world was silent for a moment before the warm hands were quickly pulled away. "Sorry," Came Sheik's voice, un-muffled now by Link's back. "I must have . . . In the night . . ."

Link yawned, not minding at all. Lifting his head, he surveyed the camp. Sheik sat up beside him, and Link took special care to note that Epona was still tethered to her tree, grazing.

"I really am. Sorry, that is." Link twisted his body around to look at Sheik, who was gazing sullenly into his lap. "I didn't mean to—."

"Shut up, Sheik." Link smiled as the boy looked sharply up at him, surprised by his words. "I traveled half of Hyrule waking up with one of my brothers holding me like that. I know I'm warm."

"But I wasn't trying to steal your warmth." Sheik hinted, sending a trickle of heat downwards in Link's belly. "Just share it."

Link rubbed his eyes, too tired for having just woken up. He'd had that feeling before on the road, of never being able to get enough rest. "Look, I don't mind and you know it." Sheik raised his brow, and Link's cheeks immediately reddened. "Just quit your damned apologizing already, would you?" Link grumbled.

Sheik chuckled. "Are you always this grumpy in the morning?"

Link held his head in his hands. "So I'm told."

Sheik half-smiled, his expression wistful. "I wish I could make you breakfast or something."

Link grinned. "Don't worry. There'll be plenty more opportunities. I'm usually the one who has to make breakfast. It'll be a nice change of pace."

Sheik patted his leg. "We'll take turns." He stood and stretched, yanking the blanket away from Link and folding it up small enough to fit in Epona's saddlebags. "You know," He commented. "If you weren't so attached to that horse, we _would_ have some breakfast."

"That's it!" Link bolted to his feet, standing once again between horse and Sheikah. "You are _so_ walking!"

"What?" Sheik protested. "Not this _again_! That horse is _framing_ me!" He cried, pointing at her.

Link snorted as he brought Epona's tack over and saddled her. He jumped on, watching as Sheik shook out the second blanket, folding it.

"Will you quit watching me like I'm on trial?" Sheik grumbled as Link scrutinized him as he put away the second blanket. He climbed up beside Link, arms going snugly around his waist once again. Link was quickly getting used to that feeling.

"No, you're permanently under suspicion now." Link muttered as Epona trotted southeast.

"I hope I don't get another riding headache." Sheik murmured, abandoning their argument. Link liked to think it was because he knew he couldn't win.

"Well, can't help that. Just try to keep your head still," He advised. Sheik complied, resting his head on Link's shoulder again.

"We're just lucky we don't actually have to walk to Termina. A headache is a hundred times worse when your legs feel like they're about to fall off." Link yawned. "By the time we had gotten to the desert, I felt like keeling over." He chuckled while Sheik listened. "If it wasn't for Davin's loud mouth, we all would have died out there."

Sheik smiled, remembering. "I was so surprised that day. I was hunting; it was a normal day. Then I looked up and saw this boy standing there on the dunes, just staring at me. At first I thought you were a mirage, but when I realized—."

"Mirage?" Link snorted. "You were probably drunk off your Sheikah wine as _usual_ and thought I was a flat-chested goddess come down to bless you."

Sheik laughed aloud. "_Anyways_, I had to warn the others. Hylians hate us, after all."

"Hylians are idiots." Link snapped.

"So you're an idiot?" Sheik asked incredulously.

"A lot of the time, yeah."

* * *

Sheik thought about that. He'd never thought of Link as an idiot, ever. Link was brave. Brave enough to live with that bastard of a father for sixteen years. Braver than Sheik, who couldn't even tell Link how he felt about him. Or how Link made him feel.

Perhaps it would all come out in its own time. Then again, perhaps it was time Sheik gave it a little push.

* * *

**Thanks for sticking with me and reading this far! I appreciate my readers so darn much! Thanks! ^-^**


	8. Night Flight

**This chapter is longer than any previous ones, which I know you'll all appreciate!**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

The first town that they came upon was bustling with travelers and townspeople. They were so many of them that no matter how many times Sheik elbowed Link in the side, he could not stop staring. They had entered the place easy enough; Sheik had avoided eye contact, and Link had given them the same story about being brothers and travelling together to go and see family. They bought it, all the way. Link's mind travelled to yesterday, when the two of them agreed that Hylians were idiots. Link wondered in amazement for a moment of how that old King of Hyrule was able to deceive the Sheikah so long ago. If Sheik was an accurate representation of his race, the 'desert-dwelling sand devils' were a quick-witted bunch.

"Where do you think we could find a good bow?" Link asked as they walked side by side down the middle of a market street. They had rented out a stall in a stable for Epona to spend the night in, so at least she was safe. And well away from Sheik . . . Link thought darkly, somewhat amused by the fleeting thought. There were people all about them, but they split before them like riveted water, leaving the boys a clear path to walk.

"Where do you think we could find a good _bath_?" Sheik muttered glumly. "And I need a change of clothes. I may have to live through every day with a headache from your reckless horse, but I don't want to have to stink."

Link rolled his eyes. Sheik was like a girl when it came to hygiene. "Look, you need food to survive. Smelling good isn't a necessity." Sheik grunted unhappily. "Maybe there'll be a bath at the inn we choose," Link said with enthusiasm, trying to make up for his skepticism over Sheik's cleanliness.

"Nice save." Sheik droned, abandoning Link's side and heading into a shop that advertised weapons. Link followed him, hoping the shopkeeper wouldn't be too nosy, asking questions of them.

The shop was dim and had a low ceiling. On the walls hung swords, scimitars, knives, spears, clubs, and every other sort of sharp thing that's primary purpose is to kill. There were racks with leather bracers of all kind, some decorated and embellished to the point of being ridiculous; others were plain and simple leather. Link eyed the simple ones with appreciation.

"Can I help you, son?" Link looked over his shoulder at a large man towering over him with a bald head, trimmed goatee and gold earrings. Link assumed him to be the shopkeeper.

"Actually, yes. My brother and I," Link gestured over to where Sheik was scanning a rack of bows. He was grateful that they were both blonde and could pass as brothers; even though Link was paler than Sheik . . . by a lot. "We're making a long journey, and were looking around for a good hunting bow."

"Where you boys headed?" The shopkeeper asked in a deep voice, glancing back at Sheik, yet making no move towards the bows.

"Dacoda . . ." Link trailed off. That was the only other country he knew of other than Hryule and Termina. Dacoda was the land the barbarians were from. He assumed it was a normal country, just as anywhere else, and wondered what the Dacodian's life was like, having to live with the awful brutes taking up residence in their homeland. Or did those men have family there? Well, Link had experienced their cruelty first hand, and it would haunt him until the day he died.

"If you don't mind . . ." Sheik cut in from where he was standing, scowling with irritation at the shopkeeper. "We're in a bit of a hurry. Other errands to run and such," He put on a fake smile and narrowed his eyes.

_Watch it_ . . . Link thought. Sheik had to be extremely careful, or he would be found out. The muscular bald man raised his brow, but said nothing, lumbering over to where Sheik stood. Link followed wordlessly, catching Sheik's eye and sending him a silent _be careful_!

"You say you need a hunting bow?" He asked.

"_Yes_!" Sheik hissed. Link bit his lip with worry.

"Which one of you is the hunter?" The man's eyes swept slowly from Sheik to Link.

"He is." Link murmured, shrinking uncomfortably under the man's obviously shameless, _lingering_ gaze.

He took in Sheik, in all his skinny, blonde, livid glory. "'Spect you'll need a low draw weight . . . How about—."

"My draw weight is a hundred and forty pounds, and I won't have you patronizing me by giving me less." Link watched as Sheik's hands balled into fists. He was sizing the shopkeeper up. "I've used a bow most of my life, and I think I know enough to—."

"Jasten." Link spoke through his teeth, shooting daggers at Sheik through his gaze. "Just _calm down_, alright?"

Sheik rolled his eyes, but relented. He scanned the rack a moment more, pulling off a black longbow that was almost as tall as he was. "What do you make your bowstrings out of?" He asked, stroking the wood of the bow, testing it and feeling its elasticity.

"I make 'em with flax fibers."

Sheik shook his head. "That's no good. I'm used to sinew."

The shopkeeper scratched the back of his neck. "I have a few made with deer hide . . ."

Sheik gestured to the bow. "May I try this out?"

Link understood why Sheik had put the shopkeeper through such trouble. He was a master marksman and knew both what he needed and wanted to be comfortable with his shooting. He hit every target in the back alley on the bull's-eye.

When they were walking back into the shop—the two boys behind the bald storekeeper, Link grabbed Sheik's elbow, pulling him close. "That was amazing!" Link whispered in his ear before letting go. Sheik smiled, pleased with himself.

Sheik didn't choose the black bow; instead, he picked a smaller brown one, and declared it was even better than the one he used to have.

Link tried to look cheerful as he turned to the man. He knew what came next. "How much?"

"Three hundred rupees." The storekeeper watched Link closely, waiting for his reaction.

Link's eyes went wide. "H-how much? For a piece of _wood_?"

The shopkeeper grinned, pleased with Link's response. "That's including arrows and a quiver."

"Do you fletch them with _gold_?" Link demanded, quite serious.

The man raised his thick eyebrows. "Well," He swept his gaze over Link again. "There are a few . . . ways I can think of for you to get a discount."

Sheik stepped forward, blocking Link from the bald shopkeeper. He was shaking with anger, yet trying to pull it back and keep a cool demeanor. It wasn't working. "I'm guessing, _dear sir_, that you have never sold one of the _hunks_ of metal you call weapons in here for that much. We'll give you two hundred, and you give us twenty arrows. Are we in agreement?"

The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes angrily. "Just who do you think you are, boy?"

Sheik stepped up to him, neck strained up just to meet the bigger man's eyes. "Who do you think _you_ are, _pervert_?"

"Jasten, please stop." Link pleaded, eyes frantic and wide.

"Two hundred." Sheik pulled up his pant leg to just above his knee, revealing a purse strapped to his leg. He plucked out two silver rupees and offered them to the storekeeper. Link's mouth fell open. Where did he get that kind of money?

The older man looked like he wanted nothing more than to punch Sheik square in the jaw, but finally he exhaled, holding out his hand for Sheik to drop the money into it. He took the bow and placed it in a leather case, and equipped a leather quiver with twenty crow-fletched feathers. "Thank you for your service." Sheik spoke through his teeth, strapping on the quiver and grabbing Link's arm. They were out of the shop within two heartbeats.

"Sheik, what were you doing in there?" Link whispered at him urgently. "And _where_ did you get all that _money_?"

Sheik sighed, watching the people around him with guarded eyes as he pulled Link along down the street. His red eyes were seething with anger. "When I left . . . I told Zelda. I told her the day after she summoned you to the castle that I wanted to take you and run."

"She let you _go_?" Link shouted, stopping and staring at Sheik in wonderment. Everyone around them within a ten foot radius stopped and stared as well. Link glanced around sheepishly. Sheik growled and pulled him away towards an alleyway set into the side of a building.

Sheik pushed him against a wall. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

"What's wrong with _you_?" Link shot back. "Horse eater!" He added as a final thought.

Sheik rolled his eyes. "Zelda wanted me to leave. Not to get rid of me, but she saw that I wasn't happy at the castle . . . so she gave me some money."

"How much?" Link held Sheik's eyes with a penetrating gaze.

"A considerable amount . . ." Sheik glanced away, back out at the street, where lamps were being lit as the twilight set in.

"Tell me, Sheik." Link said under his breath.

"A little more than ten thousand—."

"_Ten_ _thousand_ _rupees_?!" Link hollered.

Sheik surged forward, clamping his hand down on the younger boy's mouth. "Shut up!" He looked around wildly. "If you keep doing that, we're going to get _mugged_!"

"Thowwy." Link mumbled past Sheik's hand, eyes softening as he looked at the Sheikah. Sheik took his hand back, staring at the ground. "I just can't believe—I didn't know you and Zelda were so close," He murmured, eyes losing their softness and turning sad.

"No, oh no." Sheik shook his head wildly. "Don't you get the wrong idea about us. We were friends. She . . . meant a lot to me there, when I was all alone. So she got me some money from the treasury and picked a day for me to leave when it would be easier to slip away and find you . . ."

"Wow," Link blinked. "She really cared about you." His gaze travelled up to a poster above Sheik's head. It was a 'wanted' poster, but in the dim and darkness, Link couldn't quite make out the face of the person. "We should find a place to stay. We need to get an early start in the morning, cover some ground."

"I saw a tavern a little ways back, near the town gate."

"Excellent, let's head there." Link broke off from the wall, walking back out into the dimming street. The flames in the lamps flickered. The streets were considerably emptier now, everyone having headed home for the day. Link hoped the streets weren't dangerous at night, but the shadows in the corner of buildings and alleyways looked formidable. Link stuck close to Sheik's side, just in case. Goddesses knew how many years of training he had, preparing for his life as a royal servant and protector. Link had only caught glimpses of his wit and ability, but he was quite sure that they were endless.

When they came to the tavern, Link hesitated outside the door, in the now blackened street. Sheik glanced back at him, brow raised. "What's wrong, Link?"

Link strained his neck to look up at the building's façade. "It's kind of . . . shabby, don't you think?"

"What were you expecting, Hyrule Castle?" Sheik's mouth turned up at the corner. He pulled Link close, under the awning of the decrepit tavern. "We're travelers now." Sheik looked deep into Link's eyes. "That means we're going to have to get used to gross old taverns and the like." Link's mouth twisted up, and Sheik chuckled. "Don't worry; I'll protect you from the big bad cockroaches."

"Cockroaches?" Link didn't have much more time to protest as Sheik opened the door, grabbed his hand and pulled him into the warm, musky tavern.

Link shut the door behind them, glancing around in earnest worry at the large bearded men occupying the cramped room, sitting at tables and barstools; drinking and laughing and singing drunkenly. Young serving girls skirted the men as best they could, smiling genially, but with weary annoyance in their eyes as they avoided their endless gropes and grabbing.

"What did you get us into?" Link muttered in Sheik's ear as Sheik pulled him up to the bar, leaning over it casually as he scanned the workers behind the counter for the one who owned the establishment.

"Excuse me," Sheik finally said to a man with keys looped into his belt. "My brother and I would like to inquire about a room for the night?"

The man glanced up at them, wiping out a clear glass with a dirty rag. He had a flappy, rounded face and a cultivated beard. His cheeks showed a cherry red. "Seventy rupees a night, you two—." He stopped, squinting to get a closer look at them. Sheik averted his eyes as Link moved to stand beside him, wary.

"We can pay—." Link began, but was cut off by the innkeeper, who pointed a thick finger at Sheik's chest, whose eyes were still averted to the ground.

"I've seen you before, haven't I? I know I have." He set the glass down, putting a hand to his chin in thought. Link glanced over at Sheik, whose mucles were tensed and face taut. Link was about to say something else when he saw the tavern keeper's eyes slide to a pillar in the room behind him. His eyes widened to the size of a chu jelly's, and his mouth opened and closed like a fish as he pointed at Sheik. "You, you're—it's—."

Link was afraid to turn around, to see what the man had seen. But he did, albeit hesitantly. On the pillar hung a small white sheet of parchment with the word 'wanted' printed across the top in large block letters. It looked much like the one Link had seen in the alleyway earlier, only now he could make out the image below the word. It was a depiction of Sheik, not quite as Link knew him: with his soft features and remarkably poignant eyes, but close enough for the innkeeper to recognize him.

"You're that bloody Sheikah that escaped from the castle!" He barked. "Get a soldier down here!" He called out into the room. "Somebody let a filthy sand devil in the city!"

Both boys turned around, their exit suddenly blocked by two dozen swarthy, big, half-drunken men. The serving girls were filing into a door at the back of the bar, to safety. Link looked at Sheik in panic. He was bearing his teeth, eyes moving slowly over the room of overgrown men. "Link," the Sheikah—for now he looked very much like a Sheikah and very little like Sheik—spoke through his teeth, his stance aggressive. "Get behind me, _now_." Link obeyed without a thought, ducking behind Sheik.

When he spoke in that voice, Link was hard-pressed not to do whatever he commanded. Link had a flashback to a few days ago. Sheik had carried himself the same way when facing his father. Once again, he looked so damned _small_ juxtaposed to his adversaries, yet so wildly determined. Link wasn't sure what drove him.

The first of the men advanced, hands open in front of him like he expected to catch him easily enough. Sheik advanced quickly, jumping up and twisting in the air, lashing out with his foot and kicking the man upside the head with such force that Link cringed. The man dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Then the melee really began. The entire mob descended down on Sheik, but he was more than ready for them. Link saw a flash of silver in his hand as he swiped low at the ankles of one of them. _Where did he get a knife?_ Link thought with alarm. The Sheikah warrior twisted throughout the men, only taking down the ones necessary to clear a path for Link to the door. He kicked and hit and rolled and slashed. At one point, he was perched on the shoulders of a particularly tall man, crouching up there in a stunning balancing act as he kicked out at a shorter fellow's head. "Link, run! _Now_!" That voice cut through Link's panicked mind like a knife through soft cheese. He darted forward, hearing the sound of Sheik's feet hitting the floor as he ran out on his heels. They burst through the door and out onto the street, not missing a step as they sprinted through the still-quiet streets towards the town gate.

When they reached the small portcullis, skidding to a halt and panting hard, Sheik let out a wild cry of frustration. "_Hûrla_!" He snarled, a word that Link was quite sure was a swear in the Sheikah tongue.

The portcullis was lowered already, shut tight. They would not be able to get out this way.

"What are you two doing out here at night?" A voice spoke from the darkness, startling the two boys. A soldier stepped forward, his chain mail glinting in the moonlight. Sheik grabbed Link's arm, pulling him behind his back protectively.

"We were just heading home." Sheik spoke in a guarded tone.

"Don't you boys know there's a curfew out for youngsters?" The soldier stepped even closer, peering at them with only the torches and moon to light his gaze. Sheik stepped back, pushing Link as well, but it was too late. The soldier had seen all he needed to. "You—you're." He looked down and pulled out a shiny metal object from around his neck. He blew into a part of it, and a loud, earsplitting ring reverberated sharply around the stone walls of the city. "The Sheikah is here, I've caught him!" He bellowed, opening his mouth to blow on the metal instrument again.

Sheik swiftly head kicked him, pulling a wide-eyed Link away from the scene. "There's got to be another way out." Link, in has frightened, addled mind, wondered at how Sheik could be keeping such a calm composure through all this. Sheik breathed as they ran among the streets, turning sharply in the opposite direction each time they heard the shouts of soldiers or caught glimpses of their bright torches.

Link suddenly had an idea pop into his head. He yanked the Sheikah to a stop. "What about the sewers?" He rasped breathlessly. "They've got to lead out somehow."

Sheik tightened the strap on his quiver and bow case, eyes setting in determination. "And to think only hours ago I was thinking of a bath." He muttered. "And now I'm to be wading in sewage." He shuddered, taking a deep breath. "Let's go."

When they rounded the corner, they came across a plate in the street, covering one of the many entrances to the sewers. Sheik threw off the cover, kneeling down and peering in. He lowered a leg to the top rung of the metal ladder that was welded into the stone.

"Wait!" Link hissed, eyes going wide in worry. "What about Epona?"

Sheik glanced sharply up at him, eyes yielding no sympathy. "Link, we either leave the horse here, or it's my life. You choose." He slipped down into the hole, golden head disappearing into the blackness.

Link waited quietly for Sheik's call so that he could start climbing down. Just as Link was lowering his second leg onto the ladder, a group of five soldiers rounded the street corner, rushing towards them at breakneck speed. Link panicked, shooting down the ladder faster than a deku scrub back into its leafy hole in the ground. Dear goddesses, Link wished he was climbing down into sweet leaves and cool dirt, rather than . . . well, never mind. "Sheik, run!" Link screeched, feet landing on the stone with a sickly squelch.

He ignored it, reaching forward and grabbing the Sheikah's hand as they sprinted as fast as they could without slipping on the filth. Link heard shouts from above and then echoes throughout the stone hole as the soldiers climbed down.

"I think they're going to try and cut us off!" Link shouted helplessly.

"I can fight them off!" Sheik yelled back in the untamed, savage voice.

Before long, they heard footsteps echoing off the walls and more voices. A minute later they found themselves facing seven more Hylian soldiers.

"Thought you'd give us the slip, did you?" The closest asked. Five more ran up from behind the boys, trapping them completely.

Link felt a warm touch on his thigh. He looked down to see Sheik's hand pressed flat against his leg. Link understood. He subtly placed his hand over Sheik's. The older boy's hand turned around in Link's, passing him the hand-warmed dagger. Link turned to face the guards behind them, hiding the steel.

"Let us go," Sheik said through his teeth. "Or you'll regret it, I swear by it."

He was ignored. "Seize them!"

Link felt Sheik's back part from his, and heard a soft thud as his foot impacted with the first soldier's un-helmeted head. Link slashed out with the knife, and despite the fact that he had never used a knife like this before in his life, he managed to land a gash on the first man's belly. He doubled over in pain, but the next one was ready. He drew his sword, advancing on Link.

Link thought quickly, throwing himself head first at the next soldier's feet, slashing at his ankles as he had seen Sheik do in the tavern. He grimaced to himself, now covered head to toe in shit as he lie there.

Link felt a stab of pain as a sword sliced into his outer thigh. He cried out, gritting his teeth as he took another slash with the knife, ripping and tearing at anything that came within its reach.

* * *

Sheik turned instinctively when he heard Link's cry. He had just dealt the last blow to the seventh soldier, all of them lying either unconscious or in enormous pain in the slimy muck.

Link was on the ground as well, hand pressed into his thigh where dark blood oozed out into what they were both covered in. He had managed to knock three of the men into the foul stream running through the sewers a few feet below, but Sheik knew he was in deep trouble.

He leapt forward, rolling in the sewage and coming up on his feet, pulling another dagger from his belt and stabbing it into the gut of one of the last two remaining soldier. The last soldier dropped his sword, staring at Sheik with wide, fearful eyes. "Leave!" Sheik roared. "Tell them we're dead! All of us! You're the only survivor! Now _go_!" He turned tail and fled. Sheik dropped to his knees, pulling Link's curled up from close. The boy groaned, his teeth clenched.

"Where are you hurt?" Sheik said, searching all over his body.

"My—leg." Link squeezed his eyes shut. "It hurts . . ." He groaned. "But I—I don't think it's very deep."

"Can you walk?" Sheik pressed.

"If you help me." Sheik pulled Link to his feet, draping the injured boy's arm over his shoulder. They stumbled along for a good fifteen minutes before they came to another ladder, marking the end of the passageway. Link was slowing and becoming increasingly more languid with each passing minute.

"I need you to climb." Sheik ordered softly, pushing Link gently towards the ladder. "I'll go after you and catch you if you fall."

Link pulled himself up the ladder out of sheer will. Sheik's hand reached up and softly touched his back or thigh when he thought that Link needed encouragement. He did well for the injury he had been dealt.

When they finally reached the top, Link moved the plate out of the way and they both climbed out of the stinking pit.

They were just outside the wall of the city. Luckily, this city was ringed by a large patch of trees—a small forest, really—which would provide them with a place to hide until Sheik could bandage Link.

Sheik dragged Link deep into the woods, laying him down gently in the roots of a tree that formed a dip in the ground just large enough to fit Link. He hurriedly unfastened Link's belt and gently tugged his pants down, leaving the shivering boy in his undershorts. Sheik inspected the wound; it was high on his outer thigh, practically skirting his narrow hip. He poured water from their canteen onto the wound, washing it of the filth. He dug in the pack on Link's back, fishing out a shirt and ripped it, wrapping a thick strip around Link's leg.

Link's blue eyes blinked open hazily. "How bad is it?" His voice scratched out the words.

"You'll live." Sheik spoke tightly, averting his gaze from Link so as not to stare at places he shouldn't. "But you need a good bath to clean it properly, and I want to get you to a healer.

Link's eyes twinkled as he yawned sleepily—most likely from the blood loss. "But not tonight."

"No," Sheik said, hearing the clink of metal as Link refastened his belt. "I'll sit vigil so you can rest a couple of hours. Then we need to find someplace to—."

"Shh." Link mumbled, eyes shutting, though Sheik could tell he was fighting the over-intoxicating lethargy. "I'm cold—come here?"

Sheik scooted closer to Link, fitting himself into the root's depression and wrapping his arms around the shivering boy. _Just for the cold _. . . Sheik told himself, fighting off an urge to bury his nose in Link's hair, never mind how filthy and matted it had become in their flight.

As soon as Link fell asleep, Sheik sat up, though still keeping very close to the sleeping teenager. He kept his eyes open and ears alert, listening for any sounds out of the ordinary, but there were none.

They had been lucky to escape—so lucky. Sheik ran a hand back through his hair, trying to smooth it and comb out a bit of the drying filth. He hoped to the goddesses that Link wouldn't be angry with him once he awoke and became coherent. Sheik had warned him of the hardships they might meet with . . .

What's more they had lost their horse, and blankets—which were still tucked into the damn beast's saddlebags. Turns out Epona finally did make her great escape from Sheik—by making him do all the hard work of actually escaping. He wondered tiredly if she had planned it all along . . .

* * *

**Please review if you have questions, comments, or suggestions. I'll get back to all of you as soon as I can! Thank you so much, I appreciate all my wonderful readers and reviewers more than I can express! ^-^**


	9. Sheikahy

**It took me so much longer than I would have liked to upload this chapter, and then it's not even as long as I'm trying to set my standard word count at. But I had social obligations and the like****.**** Anyways, I'm going to try and do another long chapter next time around to make up for this one being mostly filler.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

Link had not opened his eyes for almost fifteen hours. Sheik had thought about waking the boy up several times, but he just didn't have the heart. Apart from the pungent . . . odor that clung to both of them—which Link's nose kept crinkling in response to—Sheik had never seen Link look so peaceful. No fear or insecurities hung about, just a soothing calm that had caught on to Sheik as he reclined against the tree.

"Sheik . . ."

Sheik glanced over at the sleeping teenager, but Link's eyes were still closed. Was he . . . dreaming? Sheik peered at him curiously as a small smile grew around Link's lips. His face was smudged with dirt, but his expression remained soft, even through the unconscious pain he was no doubt enduring. "Sheik!" Link squeaked, then in a softer voice, mumbled "Goddesses . . ." Then, breaking a fifteen hour long spell, his face screwed up in pain and his eyes slinked open.

He blinked a few times at the brightness, looking around stiffly and surveying the woods. Then his nose wrinkled up in distaste. "We stink . . ." Were his first words.

Sheik crossed his arms, sitting on his knees. He fixed Link with a stern gaze, which was more than counterbalanced by his wide grin. "I resent that, young man."

"You're not even that much older than me!" Link whined; hand pressing into his wounded thigh as Sheik helped him to sit.

"Are you alright?" Sheik cocked his head. He put his hands on the boy's shoulders to steady him, as he was swaying back and forth.

"I'm just a little dizzy . . ."

Sheik placed a hand on Link's knee, gazing into the boy's somber blue eyes. "I hate to make you move, especially since we've had nothing to eat since last yesterday afternoon. But you've got to try. We can't stay here forever." Sheik paused, his mouth twisting up into the epitome of hurried thought. "Without your horse, we have no choice but to walk, and I don't know if—."

"We'll just have to manage." Link said with his mouth set and eyes determined. "Besides," he exclaimed, gesturing to his sullied leg. "If I don't get this properly cleaned, it'll fester and they'll have to chop my leg off!" He grimaced at the thought. "And then what use will I be to you?"

Sheik grinned, chuckling. "What use are you to me now?"

Link's eyes widened in astonishment. "Are you kidding me? I—I . . ."

"Link." Sheik leaned in close, smiling while his eyes glowed a bright cherry red. "If you weren't here, I probably would have already turned back around."

"Is that true?" His blue eyes peeked up at Sheik from under his long eyelashes.

Sheik smiled, leaning in and rubbing the boy's shoulder affectionately. Link swallowed deeply, meeting his eyes with a lasting look. Sheik stood, brushing himself off. "One thing I will never do is lie to you." He told the younger boy.

"But you never told me about Zelda!" Link protested, his eyes narrowing into a look that was so unintimidating that Sheik had to swallow his laughter.

"Ah, ah." Sheik chided, shaking his head. "That wasn't lying. That was withholding the truth."

Link looked more than a little confused. "I don't understand the difference."

"A couple more weeks of traveling with me and you'll learn." Sheik winked at Link, causing the boy to turn away bashfully as his cheeks blushed a rosy hue.

Link struggled to stand up on his own, clinging to the tree for support. Sheik sighed, gazing with admiration at his determination. It wasn't like he would mind Link's arm always resting on him in support; but it would be taxing. In more ways than one. Sheik didn't know how much longer he could control his feelings for the wheaten-haired boy who seemed to get cuter every time he opened up his damned mouth. "Let's see if we can't find whatever stream is feeding that lake so we can get clean." Sheik shuddered. They set off at an incredibly slow pace. One Sheik knew they would have to increase sooner or later if they wanted to make any notable progress.

Twenty minutes into their trek—just when they were beginning to hear the babble of a nearby stream—Link opened his mouth to speak. He was breathing heavily and Sheik could feel a cold sweat seeping through his clothes. He prayed to the goddesses that Link wouldn't catch a fever. "I had no idea you could fight like that." He rasped, watching the ground with sharp eyes for any pitfalls—even though it seemed like he was seeking out every tree root and stone just so he could trip over it and send both of them stumbling.

The remark took Sheik aback. When he fought it was instinctual—the brutality of it, the exertion—it was all natural. He often forgot that onlookers who were unused to the fighting styles of the Sheikah were awed by such displays. Sheik felt the urge to shrug, but with the weight of Link across his shoulders, he suppressed it. "Surely you knew that I had been trained for such things in the desert?" He looked over at Link.

The boy was staring abashedly into the distance; brow sunken down on his somber face. "Well, sure. But—I had no idea that you . . . were so formidable . . ." He trailed off, golden bangs falling into his eyes.

Sheik didn't even have to think about what to say next. "I had to keep you safe. And I won't allow them to take me away from you. We're in this together." Sheik reached up and squeezed the hand that was hanging loosely over his shoulder.

The sound of the stream grew louder as they walked. Sheik tried to secretely increase their pace, and was very pleased when it worked. He didn't want to exhaust Link, but he was tired of smelling like feces. Within another couple of minutes they had reached the stream. It was no more than three feet deep in any part of it, and no less than one. Perfect for bathing, if the early morning chill hadn't left the water at a mind-numbing temperature. Sheik gazed unsure at the water, contemplating the pros and cons of being clean and freezing versus being filthy and not catching hypothermia. _I'm covered in other people's shit. Why am I even thinking about this?_

He gingerly began removing his clothes, catching the hem of his shirt with his hands and pulling it over his head—leaving him bare-chested and freezing. His hands went to the fastening at his pants, but something made him pause. Sheik glanced up from under his lashes and golden bangs. Link had sunk against a tree to rest, but his sapphire eyes were wide and his mouth had dropped to the forest floor. Sheik glanced over his shoulder, wondering what Link had seen to make him—Oh . . .

Sheik bit his lip, suddenly embarrassed. "Uh . . ." _Goddesses! I've told myself how many times that I've wanted to tell him? Wanted him? And know that I find myself in a situation like this—._

Link looked at the ground, cheeks heating up. "Sorry—." He murmured, chin tucked into his chest. He stood shakily to his feet, dropping the pack and shedding his own shirt as well. He had . . . bruises on his arms to match the one on his face. Sheik gritted his teeth, biting down his anger at that despicable, no-good low down bastard son of a—.

"Don't be sorry." Sheik whispered, looking away as well. He heard some shuffling on Link's part, and a small white brick was tossed at his feet. Sheik bent down and picked up the brick, examining it. His face sprouted a magnificent grin. "You have _soap_?" He laughed aloud. Link let out a shaky laugh as well before he started to undress.

They bathed in their undershorts as quick as they could, splashing in the water as they scrubbed their clothes and skin with the soap until each of them and their clothes emanated a slightly floral smell. The undergarments may have provided little protection against the biting chill, but it was better than the water seeping straight into their skin. They both jumped out of the creek at the same time, throwing their washed clothes on a nearby rock that was sitting in a patch of dappled sunlight. They stood there for a moment, shivering wildly, and hugging themselves against the chill. And then their eyes met—

—and they rushed into each other's arms, holding their frozen bodies closely together for the heat of it. Link rested his chin on Sheik's shoulder, and Sheik could hear the chatter of Link's teeth close to his ear. He wrapped his arms around the boy's back, and felt Link's go around his waist. "G-goddesses." Link chattered. "Th-that was c-cold."

Sheik stretched his neck, gazing up at the mid-morning sky. Thankfully, the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds—burning warm and brightly.

After about ten minutes, the sun had dried their skin; though both their gilded heads still hung with wet, slightly-darkened golden hair. Their clothes were still slightly damp, but the sun had heated the dampness to a comfortable warmth, and so they were able to wear them.

They set off again, southeast as usual. Link was walking better now, and on his own. Sheik was so thankful that washing was all that cut had needed. He didn't know what he would do if . . . Well, never mind those thoughts. They trekked in silence for a good hour until they reached the edge of the small forest.

"Where do we go now?" Link rasped. Sheik glanced at him. His hair had finally dried, and it glowed in the warm, midday sun. He was so breathtaking, goddesses be damned.

Sheik opened his mouth, staring at him in awe. "Link, I—."

Link looked over at him and smiled. "You know, I've heard about people who had money to throw around going to these beauty places, where they give you a little plastic plates to go over your eyes. It changes the color."

Sheik frowned. Link had interrupted him, just when he had summoned the courage to let out all his pent up emotions! "Do you think that's how everyone noticed me?" Sheik asked, blinking. "My _eyes_?"

Link grinned, obviously amused by the slight irritant in Sheik's voice, even if he didn't know the reason behind it. "Well, they _are_ rather striking." He smirked, and Sheik rolled his eyes. "And that's really the only particularly defining Sheikah-y think about you."

"'Sheikah-y?'" Sheik quoted skeptically.

Link deadpanned. "Shut up, Sheik. We're going. In the next town."

"How can you be certain I won't be discovered again before we can get these 'plates'?"

Link thought about it, his mouth twisting up in the corner. Then—ever so slowly—a wide grin blossomed across his face.

Sheik gulped nervously. This wouldn't be good . . .

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! And if you have the time, please send me a review. All my reviewer's comments and suggestions keep me happily writing, as well as allowing me to better improve the story. And we all like a happily writing author, don't we? :)**

**Thanks again, you're all so wonderfully magnificent! ^.^**


	10. Easiest Thing in the World

**Hey guys, as you probably already know, this is the tenth chapter! Woohoo! I won't be uploading again until after Sunday, because that's the day I graduate! **

**Enjoy reading! I sure enjoyed writing it! ;)**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

"I cannot believe that I agreed to let you do this to me." Sheik muttered at the blackness, only to have it chuckle back at him. The coarse cloth irritated his face, and he couldn't see a blasted thing!

"Shh, it's only for a little while." Link murmured next to him, his fingers reaching down to brush Sheik's.

Sheik shivered. He was quite certain that Link had no idea what those little touches did to him, or how they made his heart beat just a little faster each time. Sheik bit his lip to calm himself and continued on; Link a sure force pulling on his arm to guide him through the small city. They were in search of some sort of disguise for Sheik's eyes so that they would be able to spend at least some of their nights sleeping in a warm bed as opposed to the cold, hard ground. Especially because during their flight from the last town they had managed to lose Link's horse, the blasted beast.

Link's brilliant plan to get into this town, Amerith, was to tie a black cloth around Sheik's eyes and pretend he was blind. Their story was that he, at the tender age of six, had been mauled by a vicious wolfos in the Ordon Woods. They were still acting as if they were brothers. Sheik hated being referred to as Link's idiot brother, Jasten, but he kept himself from complaining.

"People are looking at us funny," A pair of soft lips brushed against his ear, whispering to him and causing the hairs on the back of Sheik's neck to rise up—seemingly in a revolt against him. A revolt that the entire world appeared to be a part of. He sighed, trying to forget about the exasperation that being around Link like this was causing him.

"And they're going to. I'm blind; of course people are going to stare." He said bitterly, playing his part well.

He heard Link snort, and there was a change in direction as well as pace. He could tell that he was being pulled into some sort of building, because the light changed as well. "Can I help you?" A raspy voice asked. Sheik pinned it as an elderly woman's. Perhaps in her sixties.

"That's what we're here to see." This voice was deep and warm, like sweet-smelling clover honey dribbling slowly off of a spoon. Sheik knew it was Link's. He was pulled further into the room and then gently pushed down onto a hard wooden chair. "My brother. There's a problem with his eyes."

"Let's see it, then." The woman hissed.

Sheik felt pressure at the back of his head, and then warm fingers were twining themselves through his hair. He bit his lip, holding in a soft sigh. The rough cloth fell away from his eyes, but he kept them shut tight, not trusting anyone apart from Link for a second. He heard the floorboards creak as someone leaned down in front of him. He smelled sour breath, and tried not to wrinkle his nose. "Let's see then, love." The old woman rasped out. He could sense her peering at him.

Ever so slowly he opened his eyes; squinting immediately at the light that streamed into them. He could feel his pupils constricting to filter even the hushed candlelight that permeated the small room. Everything about the room was old wood paneling and dripping wax candles. Locking eyes with the wily old woman, he was hard-pressed not to jump back out of his chair. Her eyes were an electric yellow, almost as if it were a cat staring back at Sheik. The woman growled something unintelligible under her breath, her uneven teeth jutting out from under her upper lip. Her charged eyes flashed back up to Link. "There's nothing wrong with them. He can see fine, the bugger. Watch." Her hand struck out towards Sheik, and he jerked back lightning quick to avoid her stinging hand.

"It's the color." Link whispered; almost like he was worried there might be soldiers listening in on them. "Don't you sell like . . . those little . . . thingies that you put in his eyes to change the color?"

Sheik snorted as the woman looked at Link like she thought he was raving mad. "Boy, I don't know what you were expecting when you walked in here, but this is an apothecary. I don't sell none of them trifling trinkets or baubles the rich folk are in a tizzy over nowadays."

Sheik studied her closely as the woman reprimanded Link. "You practice magic, don't you?" His voice came out as a husky whisper. Where else would those eyes have come from?

"Who wants to know?" She stuck two angry fists on her hips, leering at Sheik.

"I do, obviously. That's why we're here. Could you do anything about the color? Perform a spell? Cast an enchantment or a charm or something? Please."

"Of course I could." She hissed; another feature of her that appeared to be catlike.

"Would it be permanent?" Link piped up from behind them.

The woman snickered at Link's concerned expression. "If you like your boyfriend's eyes so much, why you want to change them in the first place?"

Before Link could stutter out an embarrassed response, Sheik cut in angrily. "Because they keep getting me recognized as a Sheikah."

The woman quirked an eyebrow. "Why say you're brothers if you had to tell me what he was anyways?" She spoke to Link now.

"Force of habit." Link growled. Sheik turned back and smirked at him. Link rolled his eyes. It was obvious to Sheik that Link didn't like this woman. Not in the very least.

"Hundred rupees." She barked, sticking out her hands. Sheik bent down and rolled up his pant leg again, pulling out a silver rupee and putting it in her upturned palms. She raised her eyebrow when she saw the amount of money in the purse, but did not speak on it. She pocketed the money and rolled up the sleeves of her tattered old red dress. "Sit tight." She murmured, stepping closer. Sheik sat back in the old chair, stretching out his lithe form and crossing his long legs.

* * *

Link watched as the old woman slapped a wrinkly, spotted hand on Sheik's eyes. He cried out, but she forcefully smacked the top of his head, and he quieted. Link narrowed his eyes as he watched the woman's lips work into twisted shapes. Her arms were wrapped around Sheik's wheaten head. No one should have been able to touch that head like that but him. Link thought he'd finally gotten through to Sheik when they'd held each other after their bath in the stream, but the stupid boy was as oblivious as ever to him. And now this grouchy old woman had her fingers in Sheik's soft golden hair. Link ground his teeth together, clenching his fists.

After a few more seconds, the woman hissed out the last words through her crooked teeth and released Sheik. "Won't be able to tell him apart from a Hylian now, he being a mys. . ." She trailed off into mutterings.

Link rushed around to the front of him, kneeling down and taking his arms. His eyes still had not opened. "Sheik?" He shook him gently, and the older boy's eyes slid open slowly. Link gasped, the air getting stuck in his throat. No longer were his friend's eyes a warm and brooding bloody red. Now they were the color of sunshine-dappled pine, just like in Link's forest home. "Sheik . . ." Link breathed, lost in those eyes. They were beautiful on him, so much it took Link's breath away. But they just didn't fit him.

Link looked at the old woman standing behind Sheik. "How do we reverse the spell when we're ready?"

She hobbled over to one of her shelves, taking a key from the pocket of her apron and unlocking a tiny cupboard. She pulled out a miniature glass vile, tinier than Link's smallest finger. She handed it to Sheik, and Sheik took it, watching her with those stunningly wrong foresty eyes.

"That'll nullify any magical effects on the body, so your eyes will return back to normal, Sheikah." She rasped.

Sheik turned to look at Link. The green-eyed boy looked so lost and unsure. "They suit you, Sheik." Link murmured, a smile pulling gently at his lips. A wave of relief washed across Sheik's face, and Link knew he had said the right thing. He took off his pack and pulled a different shirt from it, tossing it at the Sheikah. "You better change, so people don't wonder why the blonde boy in the blue shirt can suddenly see again."

Sheik pulled off his shirt and tugged on the brown one Link had given him. Link returned the blue shirt to the pack. "Thank you, Link." Sheik blinked a few times, his long eyelashes shading the brand new emerald orbs beneath them. He put the vile in his rupee purse.

They left the apothecary, blinking into the warm sunlight. "We're just regular Hylians now, the both of us." Link laughed quietly, nudging Sheik's arm. "What do you want to do? I think we deserve a little fun."

Sheik glanced around the street nervously for a moment before his startling green eyes calmed into a warm glow. It made Link ache to touch him, and yet—.

"I'm hungry." Sheik murmured, staring at Link as if he was his mother, and Sheik expected Link to make him lunch as well as tuck him into bed at night and read him a story. Link wouldn't mind the latter . . .

"I'm glad Epona's not here, then." Link smirked, following Sheik as he set off down the street.

Sheik whirled around suddenly and fixed Link with a steely expression that was much less potent without his burning red eyes to back it up. He raised his finger in warning. Link froze, watching him with wide eyes. "One more remark about that, and you will be in big trouble, _little boy_." He whirled around and stormed off at an even brisker pace.

"Jasten!" Link cried, jogging after him. "I'm sorry! Wait, I didn't mean it! Wait!"

Sheik cast a look at Link over his shoulder that stopped Link dead in his tracks. His eyes had been filled with . . . was that desire, or irritation? Or maybe it was hunger? Whichever it was, it had been very intense. Link followed closely as Sheik turned into a respectable-looking tavern.

Unlike their last experience with taverns, this facility was quite nice, and nearly empty, which Link was grateful for. He overtook Sheik, shrugging past him to the counter. "What have your cooks made today?" He asked eagerly, jumping up on the barstool a little too quickly. The force of his jump caused the stupid thing to tip. Link could feel himself plummeting towards the ground; but then there were strong arms gripping his waist and pulling him in towards a slender but warm chest. Link could feel Sheik's sigh of relief as he sagged onto him and the stool clattered on the floor. His eyes flashed up to Sheik's, who was looking down at him. "Th-thank you." Link whispered, wishing he could nestle himself further into the Sheikah's arms.

"Be more careful, silly." Sheik breathed, setting him on his feet again and picking up the stool as he gazed at Link with what could only be affection. Sheik smiled at him, rubbing his back gently as he turned to the clean-shaven man behind the counter. "Excuse my little brother here," He snorted warmly, tugging Link closer. "He can get a little over-excited."

The man chuckled warmly. "No harm done. Are you alright, lad?"

Link nodded bashfully, not meeting his eyes. He couldn't believe that he made such a fool of himself in front of—Sheik's arm suddenly squeezed him, making him gasp. He looked at the ground while Sheik ordered them food. This wasn't how someone held their brother, though no one else would have given them a second glance. This had to mean that Sheik cared—or at least felt _something_ for him, surely? Perhaps not as much as Link felt, but there was _something_ there; at least Link hoped there was. He looked up again when Sheik's arm fell from his waist. The older boy was walking over to a table in the back of the tavern. Link followed obediently.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Sheik asked as he sat down. "You got quiet all of the sudden." His green eyes shone brightly in the darkness.

Link looked away. "It's nothing." He wanted to be alone with Sheik, where he could show him what he was feeling, rather than just share words about it. He didn't have any words for it. It could only be spoken through the caress of a hand or a soft brush from lips. A fiery gaze and gentle smile. But his rumbling stomach pushed all those thoughts back; though only for a moment.

They were nearly alone in the tavern—though a small contingent of off-duty soldiers lounged and drank a few tables away, talking about trouble stirring in Termina. Something to do with. . . Link couldn't hear them, and soon grew bored of eavesdropping.

He looked back at Sheik, who had been watching him. "I'll never get used to those." Link mumbled, taking a stab at conversation.

"I'm sorry?" Sheik frowned at him, brow raised in thought.

"I miss your other eyes. These ones are pretty, but red just suits you . . ." Link trailed off, his cheeks blushing a furious scarlet, not unlike the color of the aforementioned Sheikan eyes. "It's like I'm looking at a different p-person." He stumbled. "You're still Sheik, but-but—."

Sheik blinked, eyes shining with pleasure behind a few feathery wisps of hair. "Thank you, Link. I'm quite fond of your eyes as well, you know."

"Heh, that's n—."

"Sapphires, almost. Better." Sheik hummed, placing his chin on his hand. "Goddesses, I'm hungry." He murmured, changing the subject. Link was grateful to him. It was as if he knew how much of a novice Link was to being affectionate. If that's even what it was they were doing, complimenting each other like they were.

"Me too." Link smiled slightly, musing to himself. "What are we eating?"

"The man told me it was a lamb stew." Sheik replied.

Link lit up. "My mother used to make that!" He looked at Sheik, who was smiling bemusedly at him. "Well . . . she used goat, but it was always my favorite thing in the world."

Sheik laughed. "Link-_mala_, I knew I chose the right person to leave Hyrule with." He joked.

Link laughed along with him, but he felt crushed on the inside. _Mala_ meant friend in Sheik's language, and Link had thought—well, that they were progressing towards being . . . more.

* * *

Sheik yawned, gazing out their room's window at the darkness outside. He and Link had shared a remarkable day. The kind of day Sheik had pictured them having when he was still in Hyrule and dreaming about running away with Link. They had talked for a while after lunch, and then reserved a room at the inn before quietly wandering the city of Amerith, taking in its sights and wares. Sheik was silently elated. He was the peaceful, calming presence to Link's ecstatic rushing about. The boy seemed excited about everything he saw, no matter how small or insignificant Sheik thought it. An exotic fruit or interesting fabric pattern would set him off talking for several minutes, until Sheik moved them on. Castle Town had been the only city Link had ever visited, so it was natural for him to be as excited as he was. He had a lot to learn.

They had found a little bookshop that Link had run wild in, darting between shelves and scanning through pages faster than Sheik thought it was possible for anyone to be able to actually comprehend written words. He hadn't known Link was such an avid reader, but he loved this newly discovered little oddity. It was sweet to see the wheaten-haired, blue-eyed boy so enthusiastic about the book he had picked out: Races of Hyrule. Link burbled on forever about all the tribes and ethnicities included in the book's contents, and how excited he was to read it. Sheik talked animatedly about it with him, and at one point, Link pulled him aside and told him that he had never felt closer to anyone in his life.

When the sun started to set, they stood close together in the city square and listened to a bard, who sang an epic about a Hylian woman who had once braved the desert-dwelling Gerudo women to rescue her true love, who was a solider that had fallen prey to the voracious, dark-skinned females.

Sheik rather enjoyed the ballad. All the lamentations about the dry desert sand burning the woman's feet as she made her way towards the prison of her beloved reminded him of home, and his tribe. Fen and Betali. _Goddesses above, I miss them_ . . . Sheik had thought.

They returned to the inn after the sun had set, tired and footsore, but feeling happier than either of them had felt in a long time.

Sheik glanced over at Link, who was laying propped up on pillows on the room's one bed, nose in his book and humming softly to himself.

Their talks today and the first night they had been on the road together had taught Sheik so much about Link. And escaping from the soldiers together by the skin of their teeth had brought them closer together as well. Link himself had told Sheik—looking intensely into his eyes the entire time—that he had never felt as close to anyone as he had to him. So why was it that they were all alone in a room at an inn together, in a city by themselves, doing activities by themselves at opposite ends of the room like an old married couple?

"We'll be crossing the border in a couple days." Sheik commented.

"Hmm?" Link held a finger in his book, looking up. The hair that fell into his eyes cast a slight shadow on his face in the dim candlelight.

"We'll be reaching Termina soon." Sheik restated.

"Oh yeah." He cocked his head, smiling. "Are you nervous?"

Sheik stood and walked slowly over to the bed, Link's eyes following his progress the entire time. He crawled onto the bed, sitting down next to Link; perhaps closer than he had to considering the size of the mattress. They looked at each other. "There'll probably be Hylian guards at the border, looking for me."

"That witch in the apothecary said—."

"I know, I know. But it's healthy to be worried."

Link shrugged. "To an extent."

They both looked at each other, each waiting for the other to say something. "Link, I—." Sheik bit his tongue. It was all about to spill out of him again.

"Sheik, just spit it out."

Sheik shifted to sit on his knees, facing Link. He stared at his legs, so afraid to say what it was that he was so desperate for Link to know . . . and reciprocate.

"I—well . . ." Sheik glanced up at him from under his lashes. Link's face was kind; bemused even.

Sheik dipped his head down to capture Link's lips, his eyes sliding shut just as their mouths came together. They both inhaled deeply as they settled into the kiss; giddy, nervous, and raptured. Sheik felt Link's hand cup the back of his neck, pulling him down onto him. Link tasted like the peppermint the innkeeper had given each of them after they ate. Link must have been saving his for him to still taste like the sweet mint.

When their bodies slid together, Sheik on top of Link, it was like they had been made for each other all along. Two bodies had never fit against each other like this; they went together like two interlocking puzzle pieces. And that went for their lips as well. Their mouths worked together slowly and passionately. Sheik could feel Link's breath against his cheek, his eyelids fluttering at the sensation. Kissing Link was so much better than Sheik could have ever dreamed.

After the initial stroke of their lips, Sheik pushed himself up to look at Link. The boy's cheeks were flushed, and his sparkling blue eyes hazy and lidded. And he was smiling. Of course he felt the same way about Sheik. It wouldn't have been any other way.

Neither of them said anything; right just then there wasn't time. Their lips came together again with jarring force. They kissed each other deep and hungrily, hands running feverishly over each other—chests, back, hair, face—desperate for what they had both known they wanted ever since the desert. Link's hands clung with bruising pressure to Sheik's hips, and Sheik's fingers tangled in all the younger boy's soft wheaten hair. One of them—it was hard to tell which—groaned loudly into the other's mouth.

Their kiss deepened, Sheik pressing down on Link as they moved. Link's tongue begged entrance to Sheik's mouth, and he let it; welcomed it. There was a bit of a fight for dominance with the tongue kissing. Sheik was pleased when he won it and Link relented a bit, submitting and allowing him to take control.

Almost a minute later, Link pulled away, his bottom lip caught between Sheik's teeth. His chest heaved as he fought for more air in his lungs, and his sapphire eyes blinked a few times. Sheik rolled off him to allow the boy more air, but Link immediately caught him by the waist, pulling them tightly against each other.

Sheik laid his head on Link's shoulder, sighing contentedly. "I've been wanting to tell you for a really long time, Link-_nalí_—."

"_Nalí_." Link hummed against Sheik. "What does that mean?"

"It means 'one of my heart'." He breathed deeply, collecting his courage. "Link, I—I think I love you. I'm just… tired of you not knowing it." The passionate ache in Sheik's own voice surprised him.

"I wish I were as brave as you," Link murmured. "I've been too scared to do breech this subject since . . . since . . . well, I—I fell for you that night in the desert."

Sheik giggled, snuggling closer. "If this is what comes from getting you drunk off wine, I'll definitely be doing it again. And soon."

"That was months ago!" Link protested.

"So if this is from the wine all those months ago, imagine what good it will do me now." Sheik stretched his neck up and kissed his chin. "Goddesses," he breathed, skimming his nose along the bottom of Link's jaw. "I'm so glad I can do this now—touch you," Sheik wiggled closer, burying his nose deeper in Link's warm skin. The other boy hummed with pleasure. "Mmm," Sheik breathed against him. "You smell good." And he did, like mint and vanilla.

"You feel good." The arm around Sheik constricted tighter.

Their lips met again, folding together like a warm embrace; easiest thing in the world. Like slipping into a warm bath.

"Sheik," Link panted, sucking on Sheik's bottom lip. Sheik's lip felt swollen, but he didn't ask Link to relent. If Link stopped, it would be the end of the world. He relished the ache—it was a trace from Link. Like lip footprints.

"How do you like your book, Link-_nalí_?" Sheik asked, suddenly curious. Now that he had Link in his arms and his taste on his lips, there was suddenly all the time in the world.

"It's great so far!" Link trilled, beaming. "It started off with sort of a history of Hyrule. Nayru, Din, Farore . . . The Triforce."

"You like that sort of thing?" Sheik sat up, watching Link.

"Mmm, yeah," Link smiled, absentmindedly fingering the book. "I tried to find one once about the Sheikah in Castle Town. The guy laughed at me when I asked him about it. This book has you guys in it, though."

"When was this?"

"About a month ago."

"I'm not surprised." Sheik murmured, letting himself be pulled back down under Link's arm. He was so sleepy.

"In Termina, you're going to be who you were born as. I'm not going to let anyone say anything against you. You won't have to hide. _We_ won't have to hide."

"Link-_nalí_." Sheik hummed, eyes fluttering closed. "You're—you're beautiful."

* * *

**Aaaaaaw! You know you want to, just say it!**

**Please drop me a review if you have the time! Reviews give me confidence, and confidence is key!**

**I love **_**all**_** my readers, you guys are the best! Thank you**!


	11. Letting Go of the Past

**I haven't posted in a while, so I wanted to get this chapter out faster. As a result it is short and fluffy, with a wee bit of character development. Hee, you know, the usual. Next chapter will be plot development, as the boys will finally be arriving in Termina! Yay! I don't know exactly how long I plan on making this, so we'll just have to see! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

Somewhere in the back of Sheik's mind, he recalled a thought that had reached him last night. He had thought kissing Link was the easiest thing in the world, and it was true that it felt like that. But there was perhaps one thing easier, and that was waking up wrapped in the younger boy's arms.

Sheik's nose twitched as he came awake, eyes fluttering open. He could not yet tell if Link was awake. He doubted anyone could hold something—someone— so tightly through the hazy waves of sleep, so he decided to speak up.

"Link-_nalí_." Sheik whispered, reaching up to trail his fingers along the smooth skin of the boy's ivory jaw line. Link's lips twitched as he smiled in his sleep. Sheik could no more keep a smile off his face than his slumbering . . . well, boyfriend. "Wake, _lalu_." Sheik stretched up and nipped the shell of Link's pointed ear, rolling out of bed as Link grumbled awake. Sheik stood, stretching and embracing the day with open arms.

"Hey," Link's voice came from behind him, a soft growl. Sheik glanced over his shoulder, raising his brow when he saw the confused expression Link wore. "You bit me." He accused.

"No," Sheik walked away from the bed, pouring cold water from a pitcher into the washbasin sitting on the side table. "I don't believe I did." He washed his face and then removed his shirt and washed his chest and back and arms. Sheik heard Link grumble as he too got out of bed, walking over to their pack and tossing a fresh shirt at Sheik. Sheik went away to change so Link could wash himself too. "We should make a better start for the Terminan border today." Sheik spoke, pulling a clean white long-sleeved shirt over his head. He didn't bother with the lacings at the neck, preferring to leave his skin open to the air. "Emerald eyes will serve as a suitable disguise for only so long. And they certainly won't hold up if one of those guards had a poster to compare me to."

"We can leave. All that's here is memories." Link glanced at the bed, and then turned to smirk at Sheik with a knowing smile.

Sheik laughed, throwing the pack over his back with a genuinely happy grin. "Ah, _lalu_, we will make more memories." He turned a sultry gaze on the unsuspecting boy. "I can promise you that."

Link crossed his arms, cocking his head and pinning Sheik right back with a sharp yet playful gaze. "And just what do you think you're calling me in that sand-devil language of yours?"

Sheik's eyes lit up with delight. "_Lalu_," he said softly. "Tis' the Sheikan word for love."

* * *

"By the power of Din!" Link crowed, jumping up from their crouched position and giving Sheik a thunderous clap on the back. "That was amazing!" He ran forward, gingerly picking up the plump hare Sheik had brought down with a swift arrow. He inspected it with a wrinkled nose. "Poor thing . . . damn! You got it right in the eye, too!"

Sheik murmured a swift prayer under his breath for the rabbit, thanking the Goddesses for its life and sending it on to the Golden Forest. "Will you quit waving the thing around like a cracking flag?" Sheik muttered, stalking away to where they had left their things to go hunting.

"Quit brooding." Link shot back, following behind him. "You've no reason to."

Sheik shot up a finger, eyes flaming with . . . unthreatening green ambiguity. It seemed he wasn't angry . . . _Perhaps_, Link thought, _he doesn't know _what_ to think_. Link could see that a retort bit at the end of Sheik's tongue, but he closed his mouth, pulling it back inside. "It's just—ah, never mind." His face fell back into a somber expression as he set off walking again.

Link followed behind him closely, still holding the rabbit. "Why never mind?"

Sheik didn't turn. "Link, all my life I have been . . ."

"Been what?" Link pressed, placing a caring hand on the older boy's shoulder.

"Essentially, I am a . . . killing machine. Not that I have killed many, but I do not shy away from it, as you no doubt—." Sheik paused once he noticed that Link's footsteps had ceased on the ground behind him. The Sheikah warrior turned, catching his gaze. "As you no doubt remember." He finished, turning away from him to continue walking. "And I—I _love_ you Link-_nali_, but I am having . . . difficulty adjusting to the idea that I will not be needed to fight again. That's been what my life has been all about . . . and now suddenly it is not."

Link jogged to catch up with the taller boy, using his free hand to softly stroke the small of his back as they walked. "Sheik, you made that choice. We both did. I thought you didn't want to live like that anymore? And that's why we—."

Sheik pushed Link's hand away. "It was not a choice, Link! This life has never been my choice!"

Link set his jaw to keep it from quivering, shaken by Sheik's sudden hostility. This wasn't anything at all like the Sheik he had been coming to know. Once again, the boy seemed to be acting very much like a Sheikah and very little like Sheik. "But it was your choice to leave that life behind. You're living a new life now. You mustn't let the past nip at your heels. I certainly try not to. It'd kill me if I did. I—." He paused, blinking away an unexpected torrent of tears. Tears that came with the thought of his sister, and mother—oh goddesses. "I—I have lived through a lot of sadness, Sheik, and I am not seeking pity by saying this, but . . ." Link wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. Sheik shot him the tiniest of glances. Link couldn't tell if bore concern or not. Had they not just spoken their feelings and shared their first kiss _two_ days ago? "You cannot live in the past. Not ever. Because if you do, there—there is no way to move forward. And if you can't move forward, how can you ever think to be with me?" A pair of green eyes flashed to him just as Link squeezed his own shut tight, trying to seal in the tears. He tucked his head down and hugged himself tightly; as if curling up on himself could the crying. His chest hurt with the thought of Sheik not being happy with him, or content in a life with him. Sheik—the thought of him, the promise of all he could offer—had been Link's whole world ever since they had first met. How could it be?

A hand knocked the rabbit out of his hand, and then two arms were going around his arms to his back. They held him like he hadn't been held before—even by his mother. "Link, where is this coming from?" A sweet voice whispered quietly in his ear, considerably more calm than it had been only seconds before. He could feel the warm breath on his neck, and—oh goddesses, this wasn't fair!

Link sniffed, afraid to speak. "I could ask you the same thing." He placed his hands flat on Sheik's chest, pushing him back a bit. "Have you been thinking like this the whole time, or—?"

"It has been at the back of my mind, yes." Sheik murmured, casting his emerald eyes away from Link.

"And you—you couldn't have . . . told me or anything? Before you—before we—?" Link shivered, his golden hair falling into his eyes.

"I'm not trying to live in the past, Link; I'm trying to fight it. I don't want these thoughts. Sometimes they just . . . sneak up on me. What I did before—protecting Zelda; that was my purpose. Before that, training was my purpose, and now I'm—I'm—."

"But you didn't want that life." Link stated, trying to look away at the ground, but not being able to see it past Sheik's arms and tight hold.

"No." Sheik agreed.

Link looked up, emotions completely unguarded. All he felt for Sheik was there in his eyes. He was showing it all. "Do you want . . . me?" He cleared his throat. "A life with me?"

Sheik's hard green eyes softened. He looked more like himself then he had since they had gotten the color changed. "Would I be here if I didn't?"

"Yes—maybe. I don't know." Link blinked away another rogue tear.

"_Jar flaug sania forth i lahn rëm tön ga nalal lalu fara_, Link-_nalí_." Link's eyes opened wide. He had never heard Sheik speak his own language so freely before. It rolled off his tongue like liquid silver. Sheik gazed at him, with a fierce look of what Link could only place as protectiveness. "And I mean that, _lalu_."

"Wh—what?" Link stammered. His heart beat fast. The voice Sheik used when he spoke his Sheikan tongue; it affected him in compelling ways.

"Do not ask, for you will learn the truth of those words in time, _nalí_."

"I—okay."

Sheik leaned down and caught Link's lips with his own, kissing him softly before releasing him. He bent down and picked up the rabbit again, holding Link's hand as they walked. Link's face stung with the dried tears he had cried, and wiping at it with his sleeve didn't help. Link sighed. He didn't know if that had been a fight they'd just had, but he found himself immensely glad that even more of him was exposed to Sheik. It only bound them closer. "Tomorrow or the next day," Link mumbled, looking up at the horizon, finding himself grateful that they weren't travelling west just then. He certainly didn't need the sun in his eyes on top of everything else. "We'll be reaching Termina." Not very much in his world was bad right then. Link had lost much, yes, and endured more than a lot of other boys his age. But that part of his life was over. He was shutting out the pain the past gave him, and hopefully looking towards a brighter future with the boy he… loved.

* * *

"Goddesses, I hate sleeping on the cracking bloody ground." Sheik muttered in Link's ear as he pulled the younger boy to him in the darkness.

Link allowed himself to be pulled against the Sheikah, though he was still facing away from him. "It's chilly tonight." He murmured quietly, staring vacantly out into the blackness. They had decided to extinguish the fire after they had cooked the rabbit; it would just attract unwanted attention. Instead they had found a lone tree out on the field and were huddled up against it, hoping to block at least a bit of the wind.

"Are you cold?" Sheik whispered against his neck. He had meant the words to be physically engaging, but the body connected to the wheaten mop before him didn't move. "_Nalí_?" Sheik tried.

"Hmm?" Came Link's voice, then: "I wish there were enough light to read by."

Sheik chuckled into the boy's back. "You wish to be reading now?" His lips landed on Link's neck, causing the younger boy to squirm slightly in surprise.

"Well, maybe not exactly—." Link's voice was labored as he fought to keep his words coherent. Sheik stopped and laid his head on Link's shoulder, chuckling slyly.

"Have I changed your mind?" His lashes brushed against the bare skin of Link's neck as his nose went to bury deeper into that golden mop of hair.

"It's hard to be adamant about much of anything when you're here, Sheik." Link muttered into the darkness. "You have a knack for distracting me. Even before you decided to finally kiss me the other night."

"What?" Sheik feigned outraged surprise. "I got tired of waiting for _you_ to make the first move."

"I certainly hope that when we finally start living in Termina you aren't going to be this difficult." Link scoffed playfully. "Honestly, you're like a child."

"Says the younger of the two." Sheik whispered, breathing in deep of Link's scent.

"Oh shut up." Link droned. "You're like . . . six months older than me. So what?"

Sheik chuckled darkly. "It means you have to do what I say."

"No way." Link shook his head, dislodging Sheik. "Never."

"Link, turn around." Sheik growled out lowly, reveling in snarky glee when Link sighed darkly and turned himself around in Sheik's arms to face him. "There, see?" Sheik purred as Link's sapphire eyes silently fumed at him. "You obeyed."

"You used that voice." Link complained, touching his forehead to Sheik's.

"I'm curious as to what wonders would be unleashed if I coupled 'that voice' as you say with some wine. You seem so perfectly susceptible to both; I'd like to imagine what they could bring about together."

Sheik had been expecting Link to get all flustered with his obviously sensual comment, but Link wore a snarky grin of his own. "Try it and see." He smiled crookedly. Sheik snickered, pecking the younger boy's lips before they both fell into a fit and gentle sleep.

* * *

**I realized that I end a lot of chapters with them going to sleep . . . And begin a lot with them waking up. But hey, you know what that amounts to, right? More bed talk. Heh. ^-^**

**"There will never be a time when I do not love you." Was what Sheik said to Link.**

**Don't forget to leave a review to comment on the story or if there's something you'd like to let me know. Or if you just liked it! I've shaped a couple aspects of this story based on reviews, so you never know what one could make me do if I like the idea. *winking action* Heh, thanks again, to everyone! ^-^**


	12. Ordon

**Longer than usual chapter today. I hope you enjoy reading it.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

Link pursed his lips, worried. He had been of mind that since their outburst only a few days ago they were on better terms in their relationship. That they understood each other a little better now. But of course, Sheik had gone right back to his quiet brooding. "Should I even ask?" Link spoke up as they walked—wishing for the thousandth time that they hadn't left Epona in their escape last week. "I mean . . . I thought we'd sorted all this out." He followed up with a frown.

Sheik blinked, looking over at him as if seeing him for the first time. His foresty eyes were wide and almost had an air of surprise about them. Like he'd forgotten Link was there and was capable of forming coherent speech and the like. "What?" Sheik blurted. That was the compilation of what his—what Link formerly thought—brilliant mind could gather. He seemed genuinely confused.

"You've grown quiet again."

Sheik pulled a soft, attractive grin onto his face. "Link, that's only my personality. I'm not angry—just naturally . . . quiet. Actually, I was thinking."

Link's face scrunched up into a comic display of distaste. It was like when he was young and his father would insist on him eating the stupid mushy broccoli on his plate. Link shuddered at the memory. He hated broccoli. "As I recall," Link coughed, hoping to retch the phantom taste out of his mouth. "You were thinking fairly hard _last_ time as well." He remarked.

"I'm just worried about getting into Termina." Sheik mumbled, ignoring Link's jibe and strange fit of coughing. "There absolutely will be Hylian soldiers at the border gate, and something tells me they won't be fooled by these pretty little eyes of mine. I've said it before and I'll say it again, _nalí_, I won't let them take me from you."

Link grinned as a warm bout of pride for his boyfriend curled itself into his chest. "They couldn't if they tried. I remember very well what happened last time you came into contact with soldiers."

"Hopefully we won't come out of any more possible encounters smelling like complete shit." Sheik gave a dazzling grin right back.

Link shook his head, quite serious. "No Sheik, you've got it all wrong. That was just the smell of all your sarcasm coming to light."

Sheik's grin fell through on his face just as Link's sprouted up. "You are so _dead_!" Sheik cried; springing at Link and lifting him slightly off the ground with capable arms.

"Um—," Link began, clearing his throat. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to—." Sheik huffed as he hoisted Link. "Ah, cracking goddesses befang it!" He cried, setting Link down and crossing his arms mutinously. "I hate being small."

"Aw, come on!" Link ruffled Sheik's hair—much to the elder boy's annoyance—in an attempt to cheer him up as they walked on. "You're very nearly my size. We're really not all that different, you and I. I suspect it's just in your Sheikah blood to be . . .lithe and um, slender. And besides, you haven't spent the past few months lifting bales of hay onto a stinking cart with no word of thanks! And you know what?" Link continued.

"Hmm?" Sheik humored Link's good-natured ranting with an amused smile.

"You can build what tiny bit of muscle I have on you, but I can't make myself any taller. For Din's sake, time doesn't even make me taller anymore."

A chuckle bubbled its way past Sheik's lips. "Ah, Link, I much enjoy your stature, actually. You're quite small as well. It—well, it allows—."

"It puts you in charge of certain . . . things . . . and the like . . ." Link cleared his throat as he looked away, face blushing all different shades of red.

"I've never been one to back out of a . . . leadership role." Sheik smirked.

"Shut up." Link quickened his pace, leaving the other boy behind.

"We're going to have to talk about it sooner or later, mister!" Sheik called, sounding just a little too amused for his own good to Link.

"Just remember that you're the one who specified 'later'!" He shot back over his shoulder. Unfortunately, after a few minutes of his vengeful silence, he grew bored. "Tell me more about what you were thinking? About getting into Termina?"

"Ah, he speaks." Sheik breathed in mock astonishment. Link cringed as the older boy snickered. "I was considering searching for another way into Termina. Underneath Clock Town. It's a fairly small city in the northern reaches of the kingdom."

"What?" Link looked at the wheaten-haired boy as if he were crazy.

"Before we left Hyrule, I—I did a bit of research. I was worried we'd encounter this problem. You see, there's a way under the city that isn't guarded. Few know it even exists. The only problem is finding it. It's in the deep woods. We'll have to lay low in Clock Town for a while before we move on, of course. I don't know much about the borders and landscape of Termina; the only maps of the kingdom I've ever seen have been small, cropped, and incomplete. More often than not they're made just to tag onto the bottom of a proper map of Hyrule."

"I see . . ." Link mused. "Is it hidden? You said it's hard to find, so what makes you think we'll be able to find it?"

Sheik chose Link's moment of distraction to pounce. He tugged the younger boy's waist tight against him and assaulted him with a frenzied, passionate kiss that had Link panting in no time. He could feel Sheik grin into the kiss as his eyelids fluttered closed. The Sheikah seemed to feel no guilt in his beguilement of Link. He ventured and deepened the kiss, opening his mouth onto the younger boy's like he was trying to breathe his life into him . . .

Sheik pulled away a bit after they had stilled for a moment, taking one arm from Link's waist and holding his chin tenderly between his thumb and forefinger. "_Nalí_," he said quietly, eyes boring deep into Link's and locking them in a magnetic straight-stare. "We _will_ have to talk about it eventually, okay?"

Link swallowed, knowing exactly what the 'it' he was referring to was. "Okay." he rasped, looking up into Sheik's eyes and trusting him so much in that moment that he felt a soft ache in his chest.

"When we're ready."

Link smiled to himself as they walked. "So . . . back on track."

Sheik sniffed haughtily, but his eyes held only warmth. "I rather thought that _was_ on track."

Link rolled his eyes. "I'll say it again: will we even be able to find this . . . entrance?"

"The texts describe it to be this large underground water system, leading underneath Clock Town."

Link snorted incredulously. "And there are just books sitting in the Royal Library of Hyrule explaining how to sneak into a foreign country?"

Sheik shot him a look that said: _watch it, sassy_. "Hyrule and Termina have never been on bad terms, for your information, but this wasn't from the Royal Library."

"Oh?" Link raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Yes, well never mind about that." Sheik warned. "I'll not tell you any more of Zelda's secrets. For now."

Link's nose wrinkled up in distaste. "Why would I want to know a _girl's_ secrets?" He spoke the world 'girl' as if it were a bad taste on his tongue. _Yes, that's it!_ Link thought to himself. _Girls are the equivalent of broccoli!_

"What are you thinking about in that thick blonde head of yours?" Sheik chuckled, startling Link from his thoughts.

Link shook his head, slightly embarrassed and not knowing why. "Are you sure the entrance is even in Hyrule?"

Link glanced over as Sheik pursed his lips. "No. Mostly sure. Link?" The Sheikah's brow creased suddenly with a heavy worry that Link did not understand.

"Y-yes?" He asked timidly, spooked by the other boy's change of mood.

"It's rumored . . . this entrance. It's supposed to be hidden somewhere—in the deep woods, past—."

Link suddenly understood Sheik's expression. His face paled. "We have to pass through my home, don't we?"

Sheik spoke right away. "_Nal__í_, time is not an issue. We can skirt your village; leave a wide margin between—."

"No. Every extra minute you spend in Hyrule is dangerous." Link spoke forcefully through his teeth before sagging in on himself. "Besides, I want to see it."

"A-alright." Sheik complied, keeping a close eye on the quieted boy.

Link didn't speak another word that night, and Sheik kept a respectful distance— for he knew he was mourning—apart from holding Link tightly as the boy buried his head into the blanket; sniffling himself into an unrestful sleep.

* * *

It was the next morning that the boys crossed into Ordon Forest, wherein Link's never-forgotten home and past dwelt. He was still keeping painfully quiet and reserved. Sheik couldn't blame the boy. Link had lived through atrocities unknown even to him; the bruises which had recently faded from his _nalí's_ skin were proof enough of that. But there was more to it than was immediately seen; more than just the cruel tendencies of an uncaring father. Link's mother had been raped and beaten to death, crack it! He felt such a strong anger at that; quite like he'd had against Link's own father when he had faced him in the stable those few weeks ago. Sheik wasn't even close to his mother, yet he knew that if she were to come to a similar end, he'd never be able to forget it. For Link it had been less than a year. By all precedents, Link should have been a sobbing mess in Sheik's arms. Just the fact that he wasn't spoke so much of the strength he possessed.

Perhaps it was the pain he was absorbing off of Link, but Sheik felt himself growing somber as well. He'd gladly take every last shred of pain from his _nalí_ just to give the poor boy some reprieve from the sorrow and guilt Sheik knew he must be feeling. He owed Link that much at least for delivering him; for loving him.

Link was currently leading the way. He seemed to know where he was going, and Sheik didn't question him. Link had spent the majority of his life here, after all; among these trees. "_Nalí_," Sheik spoke under a thick layer of pity. He just wanted to make it better; yet he knew he couldn't ease such an ache. He stuck close to the younger boy, wary of the shadows and whispers of the pines. Who was to say that there weren't a few lingering savages left among these woods? Not to mention that everywhere he looked he felt the ghosts of Link's past trying to drown him. Sheik ran to catch back up with Link, who had set an overly brisk pace. He took Link's wrist tightly in his hand, getting his attention and seeking his protection from—well, Sheik wasn't sure from what; but underneath all these shadows he felt he couldn't take another step alone. "Speak to me." Sheik whispered.

Sheik watched as Link's eyes squeezed shut, a tear rolling down his cheek, as he shook his head ever so slightly. "I can't speak here."

Sheik nodded to himself, comforted just by the sound of Link's voice. He rubbed Link's palm with his thumb in rhythmic circles. "I understand. I'm here, _nalí_." Link gave an almost imperceptible nod, tear tracks visible on his face.

And so they walked. They passed an abandoned village here and there—empty and yet full of lost echoes of forgotten cruelty. When they came to these villages, Link wouldn't stop but to merely glance at the half-burned little huts and cabins. They must not have been his . . .

As twilight was nearing, Link was leading them up towards a break in the trees that split just on the apex of a hill. Twenty paces from the top, Link paused in his footsteps and drew in a long, shaky breath. "This is it." He whispered, voice cracking. "I lived here."

Sheik took his arm gently, pulling him onward. "Have strength."

Sheik pulled Link-_nalí_ up to the top of the hill and found himself looking down on a quaint little village that had been built around a small crick. It was everything he had been expecting and had already glimpsed in the other villages they'd passed: log cabins both stout and cozy. Small pens built into the side of stone walls, most likely for housing cuccoos or some other small farm animals. He could just imagine a tiny Link—running between the houses, climbing the fences, splashing in the stream, sprinting into his house when his mother called him in from his games for dinner. "Oh—." Sheik's voice caught in his throat.

Link brushed past him, descending into the picturesque little scene. Well, almost picturesque. There were burnt rooftops and torn-down fences; broken-in doors. The boy did not tarry. He knew where he was going. Sheik followed him between some cabins until they came to a larger one with a small wooden porch that had a swing tied to the carved filigree in the awning over the front door. Link's head was down as he stepped forward and placed a few tentative fingers on the worn wooden grain of the door. It creaked open with barely a whisper of his touch. Without a word, Link ventured inside.

He entered the house with a small, wistful sigh. The inside of the cabin was modest: wooden furniture and a cast-iron wood stove filled the large room which looked to have been used once for both a family room and a kitchen. The younger boy ignored this room for now. He instead walked to the left and down a small hallway; pushing another door open with light fingers and striding into the tiny room.

Sheik thought this had to have been Link's room, shared perhaps with one or both of his brothers. There was one large bed in the corner, and everywhere else there were things that boys in their youth found interest with: wooden swords, practice bows, and books. So may books inside the small room. Link paused in the center of the room, glancing around with dead eyes before planting himself on the ground, facing the opposite wall.

He turned, finding Sheik in the doorway watching with a helpless expression. "It was here." He spoke, his voice coming out scratchy and hoarse. Partly, Sheik guessed, from the constant weeping, and partly from not being used for nearly an entire day. "They killed her in here. She—she came running in here, looking for us boys. Trying to protect us, I guess. I was in here alone, reading on the bed. Davin and Jasten were both out—I don't know." Sheik listened from the doorway with a growing pit of dread in his stomach as Link turned away from him, facing the small window set into the wall, his blonde hair being cast into gold by the filtered sunlight. "We had heard warnings from the western villages. We knew they were coming. He knew they were coming, but he didn't do anything to get us out of harm's way." Sheik assumed 'he' was Brock. The Sheikah had never hated the man more than he did right then. "She came running in here—saw me. She was crying, and I—I couldn't figure out why. But she shouted. Yelled for me to get under the bed and keep quiet. I thought she was angry with me."

Sheik couldn't bare it any more. He broke the spell and walked into the room, dropping beside Link and hanging his head near the younger boy's lap. To his surprise, he felt Link's warm hand stroking his hair lovingly. He felt horrid for it. He should be the one offering comfort to Link now, and yet . . . he couldn't bring himself to move from his position. "They came really soon after she had me under the bed. I—I heard—." Link's hand froze on Sheik's head. "Everything."

"_Nalí_." Sheik whimpered, tears falling from his own eyes now.

Link cleared his throat—Sheik could hear but not see his sniffles. "I was so afraid. Goddesses . . . There were three—maybe four of them in here. I knew they were soldiers because I could hear them moving around in their armor. Just soldiers from another kingdom. Conquering land and taking their spoils. She—she didn't scream. I think she was unconscious for most of it. When I didn't hear them anymore, I crawled out from under that bed."

Sheik's eyes trailed up onto the bed in the corner. He couldn't rap his mind around it. Understanding such carnages was one thing. Sitting in the room where a loving mother was beaten and consumed while her child watched and listened, fearing for her life and his own was quite another.

"And . . . and I sat with her." A small ghost of a smile spirited onto Link's face. But then his expression twisted up into such a mask of horror and sorrow that Sheik could no longer take it. He leaned in and wrapped Link into his arms, pulling the younger boy up into his lap as he held on tight. Link's forehead fell onto Sheik's as he continued speaking. "I smoothed her hair back and kissed her brow. And I sat with her. My dad came running into the house a few minutes later. I could hear him thundering all over the place as he called out to us. When he came into this room, he just looked at me looking at her; then bent down and scooped me up and ran out of the house. That was the last time I was in this room. Link's forehead shifted slightly as he looked off to the side. "Someone must have buried her."

Sheik sighed, heart heavy. "Link, I—I don't know what to do or say. I'm just—I'm here, alright? I'm here for you, _lalu_." Sheik looked up to find Link staring down at him, brow furrowed together in thought and fresh tears sliding down his cheeks. He was trying to smile.

* * *

"You would have loved her, you know." Link spoke into the darkness. They lay together—Sheik curled around him—in his parent's bed. He couldn't stand to be in his and his brothers' room any longer. Come morning he would brave it again. Perhaps to pick up a few old books, but he couldn't—wouldn't sleep in there. "And she would have thought you were the best—." Link continued. "Probably try to adopt you right into the family. Or marry me off to you . . . if that sort of thing were allowed."

Sheik didn't answer him, but Link felt the arms around his middle hug tighter.

"And Haera . . ." Link laughed aloud, causing Sheik to twitch behind him in surprise. "She'd probably be trying to steal you away from me with her every breath. She was a terrible flirt. Dad used to get so mad when boys would follow her home. Davin got into a fight with another boy once when he wouldn't leave her alone. She—she hadn't come home yet when th—they came . . . When we escaped." Link felt his face go blank as his brain tried to shield him from the emotional pain. "After my dad came back into the house and found me . . . with mom, he pried me away from her. He actually carried me out of the house . . . and then he found Jasten and Davin hiding in our b-barn. We escaped into the forest right then. I never saw my sister. I don't—I don't even know if she's dead. But I don't see how she couldn't be."

Finally Sheik spoke, and Link was so grateful to hear his voice that he wiggled around in the older boy's embrace so he could look into his eyes. To see that he was there and really cared. "_Nalí_, nothing can hurt them. Not anymore. And they are at the table of the Goddesses, looking down on you now and feeling only pride in how you have carried on."

Link stopped bighting his lip and reached for Sheik, folding himself into his chest. It wasn't a sensual contact—though the pair's breathing both quickened—Link was merely seeking comfort in the only way he knew how. He was asking to be held. Sheik's arms went back around Link and held even tighter than before. Link could feel him pouring all his love and compassion into the embrace. "I wish you could have known them." He wept quietly into Sheik's neck as the older boy rubbed his back soothingly. This was the first time Link had cried for his terrible loss with someone there to emphasize with him. His brothers and father had been in just as much pain he knew, but they had shut themselves off. Sheik was the first to ease away the hurt with soft kisses pressed against his hair and sweet words whispered in his ear.

"You know," Link began; all sniffles again. "I used to cry myself to sleep almost every night. Life just seemed so hopeless. That stopped when I left with you. I guess you make me feel safe . . . and happy."

"You have my love, sweetheart." Sheik whispered into Link's hair.

* * *

Two days came and went, and the pair was closing in on the border every day. Link feared that they wouldn't be able to find the hidden entrance to the water system before crossing the border. Sheik argued that he thought it was hidden in the deep woods, which was exactly where they were.

Link was feeling better now. Although being in the forest still hurt his heart, Sheik's words had given him the strength to carry on. He had a life to live, and though he would always remember, he had to think of the lost members of his family at the table of the Goddesses, as Sheik described them. Nothing could hurt them there, and Link took courage in that.

Link glanced around. Where was Sheik? The sandy-haired Sheikah was nowhere to seen. Had Link really been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the other boy disappearing? Link heard a sharp grunt from somewhere among the woods and jumped, startled. Goddesses, where was Sheik? Link was practically defenseless without the—.

"Link!" Climb down here!" Sheik's voice came from over a small ledge about twenty feet ahead.

Link jogged over to it, fear prickling his spine as he looked over the edge. From about thirty feet down, a pair of wide green eyes flashed up at him, a wild grin fixed just below them. "Link! Climb down here! I think I found it!" Link's brow furrowed. Sheik was standing on an enormous pink and yellow flower, looking like anything but the hardened Sheikah warrior he was with his ecstatic grin and soft jade eyes.

At the bottom of the outcropping was a small arch carved into the opposite stone wall. It was obscured by vines and ferns alike, but it was unmistakably not of nature.

"Sheik, do you think—?" Link trailed off.

"I don't know, but I want to find out." Sheik muttered, grabbing Link's hand and pulling him inside the dark hole. After a few feet, the area brightened again as they came into a hidden grassy clearing with yet another carved hole in the rock leading onwards. Link was pulled into this hole as well, and before they knew it, they found themselves in a large, torch-lit chamber with water canals running beneath and aside the stone walkways. There was a series of ramps, twisting around and upwards, that—as the boys followed them—brought them face to face with a large set of gears and cogs, all turning in a predetermined, timely rhythm.

"Sheik, I think this is it—!" Link's exclamation was muffled by a certain Sheikah's mouth as he pulled Link in and kissed him deeply.

After a moment, Sheik pulled away and grabbed both of Link's hands. "We made it, _Nalí_, we made it!" A laugh bubbled up out of the Sheikah's throat, and link was hard pressed not to follow after his example. Sheik took Link's face in both hands and kissed him again, this one lasting much longer; lingering on Link's lips and leaving him feeling slightly dizzy. Sheik gestured past them to a set of painted wooden doors. "Beyond there, _nalí_, our life begins."

* * *

**Wooh, that was a doozy to write, but I'm glad it's finally out there.**

**If you have any comments or questions, please let me know by leaving a review. I'll get back to you with my own ecstatic author-thoughts ^-^**


	13. To Keep Him Safe

**Mmm, yeah. It's been a while, like three weeks since I last updated. Let's just say I was equally busy and procrastinating. Anyways, I've also been going back and editing/fixing a few lines in some previous chapters. I went back and looked at them, and they looked terrible O_O. Here's hoping I fixed 'em up a bit. Anyways, I'll shut up so you can read. Enjoy! ^-^**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

"How can it be that Hyrule is an hour's walk north of here and yet this place is so different?" Sheik wondered aloud as Link led him cautiously around the small city of Clock Town. He caught Link's shirt in his hand and pulled him back against him to whisper in is ear. "Did you notice? Their ears."

Link nodded once and continued. They couldn't afford to stop in the middle of the street like that or make a spectacle of themselves in any way, shape, or form. Of course, in Sheik's defense, these people were really weird. Not like any Link had ever seen before. Their ears weren't pointed like every Hylian's in Hyrule had been. They were rounded and . . . just odd. "We should find somewhere to rest, lie low for a few days." Link whispered back. "I don't think it's safe for us to just be wandering the town like this. After all, aren't the guards supposed to take an account of everyone who enters the city? I don't think a lot of people knew that passageway is there."

"Are you suggesting another inn?" Sheik groaned. "Because our success with those places currently stands at exactly fifty-fifty. I don't know if I'm willing to take that chance again."

Link narrowed his eyes as they walked, perhaps a bit irritated with the stubborn Sheikah he had trailing him. "But there's a good chance you could get lucky again, now isn't there?"

Sheik snorted behind Link. "Stupid optimist. It's just as likely that I'll be found and castrated."

Link wrinkled his nose at the thought, but said nothing. There were a couple more minutes of silence as the pair of boys surveyed the small town, taking in its size and layout. Flags and banners hung around the central square in Clock Town. There were colorfully tiled streets and painted walls; and in the center of the square was a huge magnificent clock that was truly awe-inspiring in its detail. Stairs in the southwest corner of the square led to a laundry pool. The boys ventured into the eastern thoroughfare of the city where there were jugglers and performers and a colorful little collection of businesses. There was a tavern, an arcade that boasted a sign about a treasure chest game, and a little place called the Stock Pot Inn.

They were tentative when entering the inn. After all, as Sheik had said, they'd not always had the best of luck with inns and taverns. The Stock Pot Inn was a quaint little place with a dark, yet homey interior. A young woman stood behind the counter to the left of the door, smiling at them warmly.

"Hello there." Her voice was warm and sweet. "Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn. Do you have a reservation?"

Sheik hung back—acting sulky—so Link stepped forward, smiling just as genially as the woman. "Actually no. We won't be in Clock Town for very long. We were sort of hoping for a room for one night, maybe two?"

"Ah, well I don't usually take in guests who don't have reservations, but the two of you are in luck. I have a small room available upstairs. I'm sorry, there's only one bed, but—."

"We'll take it." Link said breathlessly. His cheeks were heating up at what this woman must be thinking. After all, he hadn't explained that Sheik and he were 'brothers', so just what did this woman think was the nature of their relationship?

The woman smiled slightly, though her expression bore confusion. "One or two nights?"

Link glanced back at Sheik, questioning him silently. "One." Sheik stated forcefully, walking up to the counter and using his tall frame to peer down on the girl. "What's your name?" He demanded with narrowed eyes.

The girl took a step back, eyes opened wide in surprise. "A—Anju."

"Do you own this place?" Sheik continued with his intimidating stance as he scowled down on the poor girl.

"Sheik," Link whispered, tugging on the Sheikah's sleeve lightly.

Link was ignored. Anju glanced from Sheik to Link and back again. "No, my—my husband owns it."

"May I speak to him—?" Sheik trailed off expectantly, raising his eyebrow ever so slightly.

Anju shook her head, swallowing and gaining back some of her courage. "Kafei's not here. He's at his father's right now. Working out a—."

"Who is his father, might I ask?" Sheik just wouldn't relent.

Anju's upper lip rose slightly as she snorted disdainfully. "The mayor of Clock Town."

Link—who'd had enough—put his hands on Sheik's shoulders and tugged him back from the counter. Sheik obeyed and stepped back without any trouble. "We don't mean to sound suspicious or anything." Link struggled for an excuse that would make sense. "We've just been through a lot . . . we're careful."

Anju gave him a tired smile. Link was clearly the one she trusted . . . and preferred talking to. She reached below the counter and pulled out a key. "I know the feeling. It's alright. Please, enjoy your stay."

Link smiled at her one last time before he grabbed a tuft of Sheik's shirt and pulled him up the stairs. Once they had the room unlocked, they both entered without a word. It was no different from anywhere else they'd stayed, really. A bed, a wash basin in the corner, a lone chair, and a frayed rug on the floor. Link dropped his pack, turning around to scold Sheik for his rudeness when he was suddenly pushed back with such force that he went sprawling on the bed with an 'oof'.

Ling glanced up to find Sheik standing before him, crossing his arms grumpily. "What are you doing?" Link asked, sitting up on his elbows as he very nearly melted under the Sheikah's fierce gaze. Sheik didn't look angry, but there was a power to his eyes and expression that Link hadn't encountered before. He wasn't sure if he should—or even could—test out the limits of this new façade of Sheik.

Sheik's expression didn't change. He just stood there, watching Link with . . . scary eyes. "Testing my luck." He said finally.

Link immediately pulled himself up to sit. "Sheik, no, not ye—." He was cut off as the Sheikah bent low, crawling over him so that he was forced to lie flat in order to avoid being squished. "Sheik." Link squeaked, slightly panicky.

Sheik just hovered above him, straddling his pelvis as he looked down on the younger boy with those . . . green eyes. Link blinked. Sure, he was underneath the Sheikah he was pretty sure he loved, and that was alright, but there was something else. Somehow, this scene just wasn't what he'd pictured without Sheik's blood-red eyes to back up his dominant demeanor. Link sat up on his elbows again, bringing his face within inches of Sheik's. "It's the middle of the day." He stated.

Sheik blinked, sitting back a bit on top of Link. "I know that."

"Do you?" Link challenged, raising his brow ever so slightly, in quite the same fashion Sheik often did.

"What, is there something you'd rather do?" Sheik asked quietly, sliding back along Link in a very deliberate manner.

Link almost choked in surprise. "Maybe not, but—."

Sheik leaned in close again, studying Link's face with so much intensity that Link had a hard time meeting his gaze. "Are you still afraid, _nalí_?"

Link turned his head away, simply not able to match that gaze any longer. "Goddesses, Sheik, I just don't know what to expect, or—or anything." His eyebrows pulled down and together. "I'm not scared of you, I just—."

Sheik sighed, sitting up and rolling off of Link until he was sitting next to him. Link sat up as well, rubbing his arm and looking away. "Hey," Sheik whispered, and when Link turned to face him, the Sheikah bent down and captured Link's lips tightly with his own. The kiss was so forgiving and warm; it almost had Link regretting interrupting Sheik in all his show of surly dominance.

Link blinked several times, his lashes whisking against Sheik's own with each bat. He pulled away, a calm demeanor brought onto his face seemingly from out of nowhere. "Sheik, maybe—maybe not yet. But I'm definitely getting there." They were both quiet for a few moments. Long enough for an idea to pop into Link's head. "Hey, Sheik! We're across the border now! Your—your eyes, you can change them!"

Sheik snorted playfully as a bright smile lit up his own face, distracting him from just being denied by Link. "I thought you said you liked the green, Link." Sheik smirked, rolling up his pants and taking out the vile.

"Shut up and drink the stuff." Link growled back, kicking Sheik lightly.

"I don't see how it could hurt." Sheik thought to himself, putting the vile to his lips and throwing his head back, swallowing. "After all, we _are_ finally inside the Terminan border. Did it work?"

Link leaned forward, gazing deep into Sheik's eyes. They had gone from a dull green to a murky brown, and were still whirling as his body tried to work out the color. Finally, a few sparks of red flicked across their surface, and the fire came back in full. Link had forgotten how stunning Sheik was with the blood-red eyes. He smiled softly. "There's the Sheikah I know."

* * *

Brock sat at the kitchen table, head in his hands. _The table and kitchen we were lucky enough to keep._ He thought bitterly. It was true, after his son had disappeared with his little desert boyfriend, the innkeeper had been nice enough to offer his job to Davin, so the small family was able to keep their residence in the small apartment. The innkeeper hadn't even asked too many questions. It didn't matter though. Word had gotten around about his son and his departure with the escaped Sheikah.

Though Brock told himself that he loathed Link for everything he'd done—hiding like a coward while those bastards took his wife, betraying him for the Sheikah, and then even deserting him in the end—he couldn't help but feel that life with him gone was even worse than it had been before.

Brock hated himself for the times he had let his anger get control of him. Those times when he had raised his hand to Link. Looking back now, seeing in his mind's eye his own bloody son cowering away from him in a corner, quietly sobbing, Brock felt sick with himself. Mostly because of the way his wife had loved their youngest son. After Jasten, the village healer had told them that if Ahnna had any more children, she would likely die. That was a big part of the reason Brock had always resented Link while the boy grew up. The birth had gone smoothly, but it very well could have ended in disaster, and it would all be that blue-eyed baby's fault.

"Goddesses, I chased him away . . ." Brock murmured into the quiet apartment. It was true that he had. He'd made it impossible for Link to find any sort of happiness under his thumb, whether from him, or his brothers, or that stupid little shit that stole his son away from him. The words that filth had spoken to Brock the day Link had left still haunted him. 'Link has done nothing to merit the way you treat him now!' Brock's head hung lower on the table. '. . . you'll lose him forever because of the way you have treated him. He will turn back and look on this day with gladness. All you will ever feel is regret.'

And goddesses be damned if the slimy little cur wasn't right. He remembered walking into that barn and seeing the Sheikah's arms wrapped snugly around his boy's waist. He'd seen the look in his eyes—in both their eyes—before they'd realized he was there. He knew that look. His son was in love. He was a queer Sheikah-lover; and yet Brock—though he knew he had no right to—missed him dearly. How? How, after all the years of warning Link about the dangers of the desert people had his son fallen for a Sheikah? And a _male_ one? What, in all of Farore's green land had he done wrong when raising his boy? _Well, besides the obvious _. . . Brock thought guiltily. _I may have been hard on him growing up, but until Ahnna and Haera died, I was fair to him._

Both of his other sons liked girls. Hell, both of them had girls they were wooing right now. Why not Link? Of course, Link had always been worlds apart from his brothers. While they played outside with their wooden swords and games of heroics with their other friends, Link would be holed up in their room, little nose fixed tight in a book.

Brock wished only for a second chance, even if he didn't deserve one. He had already lost enough of his family . . . He wanted his boy back.

* * *

Link opened his eyes to the morn. He was tangled with Sheik on their bed, though they hadn't been up to anything illicit last night. Link thought that—both being alone most of their lives—they simply found solace in having each other so close. Solitude did that to a person.

Link unwound himself from the peacefully sleeping Sheikah as gently as he could. He didn't want to wake him, yet he ached for a bit of time alone, to puzzle through the thoughts whirling about in his head.

Without a sound, Link washed and then with a fresh change of clothes, slipped out the door of the room and down the stairs of the inn. Anju was in the same position she had been in yesterday behind the counter, though she was sitting and crocheting a dish rag. She looked up and smiled as Link passed. "Did you and your—um, friend sleep well?" She asked brightly.

Link shrugged, smiling back as he made his way to the door. "We slept." He said simply before stepping out into Clock Town. The air was chilly this early in the morn; Link hugged himself tightly, fighting the chatter in his teeth and cursing himself for not having the sense to bring along his jacket. He set off, not really knowing what he was looking for, but enjoying the freedom of not worrying if his thoughts were showing on his face. It made no difference with no one there to question him about the weird looks he was making.

He made his way west, crossed through the square behind the massive clock, and further still into the western thoroughfare. West Clock Town wasn't as large or as open as the eastern side, but it was still charming. The streets were nearly empty this early in the morning, so Link had it to himself. This part of the town appeared to be the market. There were abandoned stalls here and there, and down a curving slope there were several doorways advertising whatever the business within was.

Link sat close to the post office and hugged his knees to him. It was difficult to clearly see his life now the way it was, in such stark contrast to how things were only a short month ago. He was happy, with the person he loved more than anything, well-off thanks to Princess Zelda and her well-wishes… The only issue to watch for ahead was getting deep enough into Termina that no one would care about Sheik's origins and whether he was the one that people said had escaped from the castle. Link wouldn't get his hopes high enough to say that no one would care about his and Sheik's relationship, but what could they do? There was no one here like that who could control them. It wasn't unlawful, after all.

Link smiled to himself. As if I'd give a damn if it was.

Link glanced up, startled by the sound of echoing footsteps. Too many footsteps to be just one pair of feet. He thought about calling out to whoever it was, but self-preservation kept him quiet.

When the source of the footsteps rounded the corner, Link had to bite his tongue to keep a loud gasp from breaking out from between his lips.

There were two of them: men in their twenties. Both had slender, lithe bodies, and sandy blonde hair. Link wasn't much of a skeptic, but he doubted whether even someone who _was_ from Hyrule would have given these men a second glance if it weren't for their burning red eyes.

_Sheikah?_ Link thought, panicking. _Here? I have to tell Sheik!_ He got to his feet, brushing the dust from his pants and started to make his way back across town towards the inn when a voice stopped him.

"Hey, you." Link's head snapped around. One of the Sheikah, the more muscular one, was pointing at him. Link's heart twisted with panic. After all, these Sheikah didn't know him for who he was, and he _was_ a Hylian.

"Y-yeah?" Link stammered, surprised more than anything. The Sheikah who had spoken to him sauntered up. Goddesses, he was even taller than Sheik! Link had to look up just to meet his eyes.

Before he could say anymore, he was forcibly pushed into the stone wall of the building behind him. Link gasped, the wind knocked out of him as he was pinned against the wall by the Sheikah. The smaller one watched with a smirk as his friend pressed Link flat against the wall, hand pinning one of his wrists while Link's own back pinned the other.

"What—?" Link started, fearful now.

"Shut up." The Sheikah ordered.

"Come on." The other Sheikah said. "We have to get down to Breyden. We can't stay in this town any longer than we absolutely have to. He's not worth it."

Link squeezed his eyes shut as the guy's free hand brushed at the hair around his ear. He ignored what his friend had said. "Keylin, look at this." Link's eyes stretched wide as the other Sheikah leaned in close to his face. The lead Sheikah who had him pinned let out a cruel chuckle. "Hylian. A pretty little Hylian."

"What are you doing so far from home, little guy?" The one called Keylin laughed at him as he backed away. "Do you think there are others?"

"I don't know." The other one answered. "Not likely he'd tell us the truth anyways."

Keylin shrugged. "Best to just teach him a lesson, then Vikrum."

"Plenty of his kind have taught me lessons before, back in Hyrule." The Sheikah pinning Link, whose name was apparently Vikrum, answered darkly.

Link realized what they were talking about with alarm. They were Sheikah from Hyrule. They probably thought that all Hylians wanted them dead or something like that. He had to tell them. "Wait, no, you don't understand—." He cried, but was cut short by a smack to his jaw that stung worse than any his father had ever given him. "Wait!" Link cried again, but this time, he got a punch to the eye that knocked his head back against the stone wall and left him seeing red and gold. Link choked, falling slack but still being held up by Vikrum. His feet scratched for purchase on the ground. He felt fingers at his lips, seeking their way inside. Link parted his mouth slightly, pretending defeat, and when the fingers slipped inside, he bit down. Hard.

"By the moon!" Vikrum hissed, letting Link slump to the ground as he jumped back, cradling his bleeding finger. Link could taste the same blood on his own lips as he coughed and tried not to gag. Vikrum cursed again and reached down, grabbing both of Link's arms in such a tight grip that in his dizzy state Link thought they might pop off. He slammed the boy against the stone wall again, harder than before, and gave him another punch in the jaw, and then again in the eye.

_They're . . . going to . . . kill me._ Link's mind told him hazily as he fought to keep his eyes open.

"Hey!" Another, different voice called out, and Link was dropped to the ground and kicked hard in the ribs as he heard the two pairs of feet running away from whoever had found them. "God." Link felt someone kneel next to him as they gingerly placed a hand on his forehead, feeling for who knows what. A fever? Why feel for a fever? Link wasn't sick... "Are you alright?"

Link opened his already swelling eyes to find a lean, purple-haired man gazing down at him with worry. "Shk." He tried whispering past his swollen lip, closing his eyes. He was so tired.

"Time of the gods, hold on. I'll take you to my wife; she should be able to help you. Hang on—."

Link closed his eyes and the world turned around him as he was lifted into the purple-haired man's arms.

* * *

Sheik made his way down the stairs of the Stock Pot Inn, more than a little confused. Where had that stupid boy gotten off to? He should have known better, going off on his own in an unfamiliar town.

Midway down the steps, Sheik heard the door downstairs fly open, and there were loud noises as a man's voice shouted at the inn keeper girl to fetch a wet cloth.

Sheik continued down the steps and around the corner as Anju rushed past him to the kitchen in the back of the inn. She flashed him a tight-lipped expression as she sailed past. Sheik continued into the lobby, confused even more now than he had been waking up without Link beside him.

There was a purple-haired man standing before a body lying on the counter, fussing over whoever's head as he wedged a cushion under it. "What—." Sheik began, but his voice failed him when he saw the familiar pointed ear peeking out from behind that mop of wheaten blonde hair. And then the man moved, and Sheik saw Link's bruised, swollen, and lifeless face.

And goddesses, if the world didn't stop right then but for the mad beating of his heart. Sheik rushed forward, knocking the stranger's hands away from his love as Sheik bent his head to his chest, listening. He closed his eyes and listened against the chest he had never gotten to touch or press soft, feathery kisses against. He heard a slow, but steady rhythm playing out in Link's chest, and he pulled his head back up with a relieved choke. Then he whirled to face the purple-haired man, shielding Link with his body. "What did you do? What happened?" He bared his teeth.

The man pursed his lips, putting his hands up. "I found him in the western thoroughfare. Two—uh, two guys had him up against a wall. I yelled at them, and they ran, and he—. I didn't know what to do, so I brought him to my wife, and I—." The man stopped, breathing hard from all the words rushing out of his mouth. "Who are you? Is he your brother?"

"No," Sheik growled menacingly. "He's my boyfriend."

The man blinked a few times in surprise as Anju passed Sheik, pressing a wet cloth onto Link's forehead. She wiped gently at his swollen face. "He's not bleeding anywhere." She confirmed.

"There's blood on his lip." Sheik protested, glancing at his broken _nalí_.

"I don't think it's his." Anju told him, wiping away at the blood. "There'd be more if it was. Kafei, get me more water please."

Kafei left the room without another word as Sheik perched himself up on the counter by Link-_nalí's_ head. He stared at his face. "This was supposed to stop." He whispered to him, brushing the golden mop out of his eyes, where a dark ring was appearing. "This is why I brought you away from that place, _nalí_."

"I thought as much." Anju said sadly. Sheik glanced at her. He had forgotten she was there. "I guessed you two were lovers when you didn't complain about the one-bed situation." Sheik just stared at her. He couldn't form words. "He'll be alright." She told him softly. "You're lucky Kafei found him when he did. There'll be some bruising, but after that fades it'll only be a bad memory."

Sheik closed his eyes. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

He jerked when he felt a hand on his back. Kafei had returned with the water. He patted Sheik gently. "It never is." He smiled sadly. "Just be grateful he's still alive. I can carry him upstairs later if you want."

Sheik nodded, swallowing past a lump in is throat. "Thank you."

Later, upstairs in their room, as soon as the door was closed, Sheik gently curled himself around Link; praying in his mind that the boy would regain consciousness soon. Of course Link was the only one who could go around a town as small as this and still find adversaries. Well, it didn't matter. As soon as Link was well enough to not need him, Sheik would go after whatever monsters had done this to his _nalí_, and he would _slaughter_ them.

Link shifted, calling Sheik's attention back to him as his eyes peeled open. He looked around for a moment, blue-eyed, baffled, and breathtaking; even in his damaged state. "Sheik?" Link saw him. "What—how? How did I get back here?"

"Anju's husband found you and carried you back here." Sheik whispered, stroking Link's hair soothingly. "Link." The boy's eyes trailed up to Sheik's. Much of the swelling had gone down, but Link's face was bruised black and blue. It pained him to see the face he loved hurt so. His left eye and jaw had taken the worst of it. "_Nalí_, you have to tell me who did this to you."

Link's eyes grew wide as he remembered. "They were Sheikah."

Sheik's heart dropped. His own people had done this?

"They saw my ears, and then they—I think they thought that all Hylian's naturally hate them, or something. Or maybe they didn't care what I thought. They—they didn't even give me time to explain I was in love with one of their people, and I could never hold blind hate against someone. Bet you that would've stopped them."

Sheik closed his eyes, laying his head gently on Link's shoulder. "_Lalu_, why did you leave this morning?"

Link winced as he tried to turn to face Sheik. "I needed time alone to think."

Sheik sighed, worried about Link's discomfort with moving, and rose above him, slipping Link's shirt over his head as gently as he could. There were bruises on his upper arms, in the shape of a pair of hands. "_Hûrlas_!" Sheik swore, bending down and kissing the bruises. He also took the time to press a kiss to Link's collarbone. After the thoughts he had had earlier with Link lying there lifeless on the counter, Sheik just wanted to make sure he'd done it. He had kissed that part of him, close to his heart. He wanted to kiss every part of him, until the hurt was soothed away. He sighed. "I will kill them. Be them my kin or not, I will kill them."

Link shook his head slowly. "Sheik, they're not here. I heard one of them say that they were heading for somewhere called Breyden."

"That's south." Sheik muttered to himself. "They are _not_ getting away with this."

"Sheik, I'm alright. I'd rather just not—."

"_Nalí_, I have to. They _hurt_ you. When I saw you lying there, I thought—." Sheik choked on what he had wanted to say next.

"I'm not," Link whispered, reaching up and stroking the curve of Sheik's head. "I'm still here."

"_Nalí_, I brought you away from your father so you wouldn't have to suffer like this anymore. And for you to ask me not to go after the ones who did this to you, I—I don't know if I can."

"Sheik, please?" Link murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind Sheik's ear. "I'm not saying we can't look into it, but I just don't want to rush off right away. I need to rest, for one. For another, I don't want to see you fight against your own people. We can settle this with words."

Sheik shook his head. "Link, I was taught to fight, not to stand back and talk with civil tongue."

"You use civil words with me." Link pointed out.

"I love you. There is a bit of a difference between you and _them_."

"Even so," Link murmured, putting a finger to Sheik's lips. "We stay here a few more days, I build up my strength, we stock up on supplies, and then we head south, alright?"

Sheik sighed, laying back. "Yes, alright."

He could hear the smile in Link's voice as he said: "Thank you."

* * *

**^-^ Poor Link, he can't seem to catch a break in life. Well, you know, aside from Sheik. And yay for being back to Sheik's stunning eyes!**

**Comments? Questions? Tips? Leave a review and let me know what you think! ^-^**


	14. Recuperation

**Wow, this chapter came out SO much faster than I had anticipated. I just started writing, not really expecting to get anything significant done, and then poof! It's a bit fast-paced, and mostly dialogue, but it keeps the ball rolling. Enjoy!**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

"Dear, why don't you come to bed?" Anju called, looking up from her needle work with weary eyes. "There's nothing more you can do for them. The poor boy just needs rest. He has to recuperate."

Kafei rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand, sighing tiredly as he slumped against the fireplace. "It's not that, Anju. I'm glad the boy's safe and all, but that just isn't it. I don't know if my eyes are failing me, or if—."

"Kafei, what?" Anju sighed, setting down her bundle of looped and knotted yarn that she would always be pulling this way and that with a hooked needle. Kafei looked at her; her expression was somewhere between incensed and empathetic.

"Anju, didn't you see his eyes?" He held up his hands in exasperated confusion. "When you were renting them their room the day I was with your uncle?"

Anju only shook her head, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"_Nalí_, you know what I am." He stated. "I cannot trust him until I know why he is here. For all I know, they have figured out where I am and have sent him to come for me."

She smiled warmly, her eyes twinkling in the firelight, offsetting some of Kafei's fear. "Darling, do you really think your people would send a boy, among all others?"

"I—I don't know." He answered honestly, putting a hand to his forehead while the other rested on his hip. "The taller one . . ." Kafei turned back towards the fire, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he thought. "His eyes are like mine, and that is all I know of him. I—I don't know what tribe he's from or—or even who he is, but the kid he's with . . . he's a Hylian." Kafei tapped his upper lip with tented fingers. "So the question is what are they doing in Termina, and together?"

"Maybe he left for the same reason you did, Kafei." Anju said gently.

A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth upon hearing his wife say his name with such loving care. He turned and walked to the bed. "Then why does he have a Hylian with him, Anju? A Hylian!"

She raised her brow at him again, lifting the covers so he could crawl into bed. "Darling, I thought you were under the same impression as I."

He settled into the bed next to her, leaning back against the pillows. "What might that be, _nalí_?"

She smiled, scooting closer to him so that she was nestled snugly under his arm. "They're in love. You saw them as well as I."

Kafei blinked. "Do you really think so?"

She nodded against his chest. "They are."

"Well," Kafei breathed, inhaling deep his wife's sweet, familiar scent. "You do have a certain intuition for these things, after all. Still, I feel I should speak with him."

She blinked sleepily against him. "If you think only to know who—or, or why?" She yawned.

Kafei pressed a kiss into her sweet-smelling hair. "Shut your eyes." He murmured softly. "Rest."

Kafei had no idea what the young Sheikah sleeping upstairs was up to, or why he was with a Hylian. The Hylians had never been kind towards his people; he knew that. It was based on rumors and lies, but was planted firmly into their fellow countrymen's hearts. Even Kafei felt a quiet unease knowing one slept in his home. Of course, the young Sheikah had to trust him, surely? To be travelling with him . . . to . . . to claim to be his boyfriend and react like that when seeing his battered and unconscious form.

And two . . . boys? Together? Kafei honestly didn't give two rupees about it, but he'd never . . . heard of it. Well, perhaps he had, but it had never been thrust upon him into his life like this. But if what Anju said was true, and they did love each other, they deserved to be together, no matter what anyone might say or think. Even if there was no love, and they simply desired each other, who was he to question them?

But—but in good conscience he could not let them go unchecked. He had to share words with the young Sheikah.

* * *

"Sheik? If you're getting restless in here, you don't have to stay with me." Link's voice came from the bed as Sheik stood at the window, gazing out at the small view it provided of upper eastern Clock Town.

"I'm not leaving this room until you're well enough to walk out of it with me." Sheik grunted, still staring out the window with crossed arms as he spoke. A thought suddenly struck him, though. He turned and looked at his _nalí_ with kind eyes. "Unless you need me to get you something. I forgot to ask, forgive me. Are you hungry at all? I know we have not eaten since last night."

Link shrugged; a sudden yawn molding his mouth into a wide O. Sheik glanced away for a moment, to stop his mind from thinking things. "Um," Link put a hand to his mouth, hiding a smile. "Well, yeah, a little."

Sheik nodded, crossing the room to the door. "Of course, you're always hungry."

"Sheik?"

He glanced back at the bed where Link lay, shirtless so that the bruised handprints shown darkly on his arms. The dark splotches that marked his face did not match his amused expression. The boy had been beaten only yesterday, and yet here he was, smiling. Link was tired, and it showed; but he still had a smile fixed charmingly on his lips. Sheik wondered at his resilience.

He smiled warmly back, eyes betraying the racing of his heart. "Don't you try to get up while I'm gone. I'll know about it if you do. And then you'll be in trouble, I swear by it."

Link chuckled, chucking a pillow at the door just as Sheik rushed out, laughing quietly.

He continued laughing until he looked up again as he reached the landing at the end of the hallway. Kafei—the man who owned the inn—stared up at him from three or four steps down. An alarm went off in Sheik's head before he knew why. It told him to be alert, ready. They gazed at each other evenly. The guy looked tired, his purple hair falling in the way of his—Goddesses!

So they had sent a Sheikah after him after all. He had spent his time being wary of the guards in this city for nothing? How had he not seen—when he had brought the water? Carried him upstairs? Why had this Sheikah waited so long to corner him like this, as he was now, sliding coolly up the stairs towards him.

Kafei must have seen the spark of recognition—or was it fear?—in Sheik's eyes, for a second hadn't even passed before his hands were on him, confining him, dragging him down the hall.

_Who does he think he's dealing with?_ Sheik mentally hissed, attempting to knock the Sheikah off him with a well-placed kick to his shin. Kafei must have been ready for that, though, because when Sheik threw his head backwards to look, he did see a spark of pain in the Sheikah's eyes; but his hands only gripped him tighter.

* * *

Link looked up in alarm when the door to their room was flung open, and a struggling, enraged Sheik was pushed inside. A cursing Kafei stalked inside just after, slamming the door just as Sheik rolled back to his feet from where he'd fallen, crouched low to the ground and poised to fight. Link's heart beat wildly with fear and adrenaline. Broken or not, he was prepared to throw himself in front of Sheik to protect him. He struggled to sit, trussed up as he was in all the blankets and coverings.

"No, wait." Kafei held a hand out to him, though his eyes remained firmly fixed on the crouching Sheik. "I'm sorry. I could've done that better; I didn't mean to frighten either of you. Sometimes old instincts kick in."

"Often handle your kin like that, Sheikah?" Sheik spat, crouching there like a tiger, eyeing Kafei like a predator looks down at its prey. Link had seen that look on him only once—when the inn keeper had recognized them back in that town and they had been forced to flee down a cracking sewer.

"Wait—." Something registered with Link. He gaped from the bed, looking from Kafei to Sheik and back again. Did Sheik say Sheikah? Link went rigid with fear. Had this Sheikah come for him? His eyebrow pulled together with worry as he watched the two of them.

"I—I didn't mean to drag you in here like that. I didn't want you running off before I could say anything." Kafei murmured shakily, putting his hands up in surrender to calm Sheik, who didn't budge from his fighting stance. "I didn't want you running away." He repeated, eyes narrowing. "I assume you're on the run. Another Sheikah probably isn't a welcome sight to you, but I had to get you somewhere to talk before you escaped out of fear, or—."

"Running or not, I would _never_ have left Link behind." Sheik hissed from the ground, slowly rising and circling around Kafei until he had subtly planted himself between Link and the other Sheikah. "What do you take me for?"

"I just have some questions." Kafei moved his eyes from Sheik to glance at Link, who shrunk back against the pillows with uneasiness. Being trapped by those red eyes felt nothing like the loving enrapture of Sheik's. They were cold and unfamiliar. "I saw your eyes yesterday—." He murmured, looking back.

"And I yours a moment ago." Sheik challenged, his hackles rising. Link knew it was a challenge because he knew neither of the Sheikah were supposed to be there. No, Link knew Sheikah were trained in the desert, and then dispatched as protectors or soldiers; or they simply lived out their lives in the desert. Perhaps a lucky few escaped like Kafei and Sheik or the pair who had beaten him, but he suspected not many did. They didn't leave Hyrule. So what was this purple-haired Sheikah doing in a Terminan city? And—wait—why was his hair purple?

"I just—." Kafei rubbed his face tiredly, a hand resting on his back. "How did you get out of Hyrule?"

"Carefully." Sheik said between his teeth.

"So you're not looking for me, good . . ." Kafei's brow pulled together as he took in Sheik's aggressive stance. "I'm not going to turn you in."

"No, you're not." Sheik growled lowly. "Because if you ever did, I'd know where to tell them to look in order to find another rebel Sheikah."

"I am not a rebel!" Kafei nearly shouted, his fists clenching up as his voice dropped into a hushed, angry whisper. "I love my people . . . But I did not want that life."

Link breathed in, surprised.

Sheik glanced back at him for a swift moment, his eyes betraying the scary mask he had on for Kafei. Those ruby orbs spoke of worry and fear. Link understood. Kafei could ruin everything they had and had worked for. Link was left with a view of Sheik's sandy hair as he turned back to face Kafei. "And . . . you want to know why I didn't either?"

Kafei gave a slight nod. "Can we trust each other now?"

Sheik snorted with disdain. "No. What else do you want to know?"

Kafei's eyes trailed to Link again. They were not kind, and Link found no comfort or promise within their depths as he gazed back. Link itched under his stare, feeling like a caged animal. "A Hylian . . ." The Sheikah whispered.

"The most level-headed one you will ever meet." Sheik sniffed, moving slightly to block Link completely from Kafei's view. "You would do well to acquaint yourself with someone like him. You might learn a thing or two."

"But he is—."

"I love Sheik." Link murmured, his voice hoarse. Both the Sheikah turned to look at him, though with very different expressions. Sheik was warm, and kind, and loving. It seemed he would never grow tired of hearing a declaration of love uttered from Link's mouth. Kafei, on the other hand, looked merely surprised. Link felt small, his vulnerability escalated by the fact that he was shirtless. Nevertheless, he cleared his throat and tried again. "You honestly think that just because—just because I'm a Hylian that I'd ever do anything to hurt him? Or him me?" Link's eyes narrowed to slits as he took in Kafei. "Look, thank you for saving me, whoever you are, but do not ever think that my ancestor's hate is my own. There is _nothing_ more important to me than that Sheikah standing right there." Link crossed his arms with an arrogant sniff he didn't know he was capable of.

Kafei closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Forgive me."

Sheik arched an eyebrow. "What are _you_ doing here, might I ask; since you seem to be so curious about us."

Kafei raised a similar eyebrow. "I should think it obvious now. I was intended for work in the castle. But I did not want that, so I ran. I ran here."

"What about the father your wife claims you have here? She said he's the mayor of this town."

"He took me in, to protect me."

"Why would a Terminan do that?"

"Because I fell in love with his late brother's daughter. The story goes that I am the son of a mistress he once had, who came to an untimely death not too long ago."

"Clever." Sheik murmured, arms crossed. "You are fortunate."

"That I am . . ." He looked up at the pair of them once more. "I must know . . ." Kafei's gaze burned holes. "Are you here for a similar reason?"

Sheik swallowed, turning to look back at Link while he spoke. "I left to be with him. That is why." He looked back at Kafei, expression weary. "Is that so hard to believe?"

A few minutes later, Kafei excused himself from their room and went shuffling off downstairs. It was obvious he was embarrassed by the way he'd acted, but Link felt no pity for him, and it was clear that Sheik felt quite the same way.

Said Sheikah sighed heavily once the door had closed, his body losing its rigid posture as he came to sit on the bed. He crawled up onto the mattress next to Link, positioning himself carefully to avoid jostling him.

"Goddesses befang this kingdom." Sheik muttered, gazing offhandedly across the room at the wall. "Between the two of us, we've come across three Sheikah so far, within two days. There ought to be a law against putting me through such turmoil."

Link reached out and lightly grasped Sheik's hand with his own. "Perhaps more escaped from service than you thought?" He brought Sheik's hand closer to him, lightly massaging the joints and tendons. Sheik looked like he needed soothing right about now.

"Yes," Sheik sighed. "And to think, there we were, convinced that once we reached Termina, any and all prejudices would be shed. Forgotten in the wind." His burning eyes made a trail to meet with Link's. "As soon as you're better, we're going to Breyden, Link. I'll not let those two _Hûrlas_ get away with hurting you."

"Mmm," Link hummed. "Kafei seemed to have quite the same opinion of me as they did, didn't he?"

"Yes, well we set him straight on that, didn't we, _nalí_?" Sheik grinned wickedly, turning his hand in both of Link's so that he was the one holding.

Link blinked a few times, looking away. Sheik had demanded Link remain bedridden, but in all reality, Link was feeling quite well today. Sure, he was a bit creaky from being made to lay about so long; but having been raised by Brock—especially during the last few months—he was surprisingly resilient when it came to being battered. The bruises didn't really pain him, and they wouldn't unless they were somehow aggravated. Link lazed his eyes back up to Sheik's. "Sheik?"

Sheik—who had been busy caressing the ball of Link's shoulder with his lips—looked up, surprised. His mouth was still on Link's skin, blocked from view. All that peeked out were his playful, crimson eyes. The Sheikah who had been so fierce a moment ago looked so cute and mischievous that Link had to smile, ducking his head away with self-consciousness.

"Um, I was wondering if we couldn't . . . leave in the morning."

Sheik pulled away, rising up on his knees to gaze down at him with deep thought lurking in his expression. "I hardly think you'll be well enough."

"I'm well enough . . ." Link muttered, folding his arms over his chest. "So there's no reason to hang about here when we still have places to go, wouldn't you agree?"

Sheik shook his head. "Link, I'm not—."

"Sheik, I'm fine, alright?" Link snapped, shutting the Sheikah up with a fierce glare. He struggled to sit up, but Sheik was sitting on the blanket covering him, and his legs were trapped in a hopelessly tight sheath of bedding.

"What are you doing?" The older boy asked casually, watching Link struggle with a comically raised brow.

"Sheik," Link growled lowly, meeting his gaze evenly. When his attempt at intimidation failed, he went for pleading. "Please, my legs are going to fall off if I don't use them!"

Sheik sighed, crawling over Link and pushing him down with a gentle hand. "Where do you wish to go?" He purred close to Link's ear, sending shivers down his spine.

"Anywhere but here." Link grouched back, turning his head away from the Sheikah so the perfume of his skin would be less potent.

"_Nalí_, what if someone sees your injuries and assumes you're a brawler? A common thug! What if they want to fight you, and I have to swoop in at the last moment and save you?"

"Something tells me you'd rather enjoy that." Link muttered.

Sheik chuckled lowly—darkly. "Aye, I would."

Link squirmed beneath him. "Why must you always put me into such compromising . . . states?"

Link felt more than saw Sheik shrug against him as he replied. His head pulled up to leer down at Link with a wicked smile. "Perhaps it amuses me."

"Sand devil." Link hissed coolly.

Sheik rolled his eyes. "Ouch, that really hurt my pride, Link. Be gentler next time, would you?"

Said devil of the sand sat up, sliding off the bed and helping Link shakily to his feet; a grand smile fixed on his face the entire time. He pulled Link close, arm possessively and protectively wrapping around his waist to support him as they left the room and descended the stairs.

Anju looked up from behind the counter as they passed her. "Oh, are you feeling better?" She smiled, though still looked concerned.

"Yeah, actually. Thank you." Link nodded graciously to her.

"I am sorry about Kafei." She began. "He can be a bit—."

"We'll be leaving in the morning." Sheik cut in, gruff and 'business-only' attitude present once more. Was the only sweetness he possessed reserved for Link? "We're going out for a little while."

He pulled Link onwards, towards the door. "We'll be back before sundown!" Link called over his shoulder, just as Sheik closed the door of the inn.

They got stares from some of the townsfolk—_brawlers_, Sheik murmured in his ear—but were mostly left alone, though they remained on high alert. Clock Town—if anything—was interesting. Such curiosities this small town possessed. Link wanted to see them all, but despite what his mind wanted, his body was already feeling fatigued.

"Do you need to sit down, _nalí_?" Sheik asked, casting a worried look at him.

"Maybe for a bit . . ." Link admitted. His face had gone pale with the effort of walking.

"Come on, there's a bar not far from the inn. Let's go there and eat before returning." Sheik suggested. "I'm famished."

"_You're always hungry_." Link mimicked in a condescending voice, snickering when Sheik shot him a warning glare.

When they entered the bar, they were directed by a few signs down a small staircase into the main area of the place. It was dark, gloomy, and empty. There were no customers sitting on the stools or at any of the tables. There was a large man standing behind the counter who watched the two boys closely as Sheik sat Link down at a table and then left him to ask about food.

Link looked around in wonder. The walls were painted with iridescent colors that glowed in the gloomy darkness. He had an uneasy feeling, but couldn't quite pinpoint about what, though it gnawed at him like a wolfos would a raw piece of meat. Then he looked up at Sheik and the bartender and it hit him. They had finally reached Termina, the place where they had been so sure they would finally be allowed to rest and live normal lives. But then those Sheikah had attacked him, and now they would be off again soon, chasing them down the Terminan countryside. Would they never get rest?

Sheik came back with plates of food—food Link didn't even glance at as slowly brought it to his mouth. His mind was too active to really enjoy the taste, anyways. Sheik watched him at first, his brow raising at the vacant expression on Link's face.

"_Nalí_, is everything alright?" He whispered, reaching across the table and squeezing Link's hand.

"Fine . . ." Link gazed down at the table. "I just—just feel like we're never going to be able to settle down, is all."

Sheik shrugged. "Perhaps not yet, but we're young. I don't think 'settling down' would suit either of us right now, anyways."

Link's brow pulled together as he looked up from his plate. "Why?"

Sheik's expression tightened. "I wouldn't want to live anywhere permanently at any rate. Not just anywhere. It'd have to be perfect."

"Do you need a desert to be happy?" Link asked quietly, chin resting on his palm as he gazed down sullenly.

"No, _nalí_." Sheik looked hurt. "No, I never—."

"What, then?" Link cut him off. "Because you know that I don't care one cracking bit whether we exact revenge on those Sheikah. I'm just happy to be alive. I don't need revenge. Chasing after them is your idea."

"Link I can't live peacefully anywhere knowing that there are other Sheikah close by. Not with the path I have chosen. I mean, what were they even doing here? Why were they going to Breyden? Are there more of them there? I don't have a clue, and I can't be at peace until I do. Their presence here threatens everything we've done to get this far."

Link blinked away a rogue tear. He didn't know where it had come from. He didn't feel sad, just terribly emotional. "It's—not—me?" He whispered.

Sheik set down his fork and gazed long and hard at Link. "If you ever start thinking like that again, Link, I swear I'll—I'll—." Sheik suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, covering his face with his hands.

"What?" Link sniffed.

"I just can't believe we started arguing over—." Another fit of laughter overtook him. When he'd calmed, he looked at Link, smiling so benignly that Link felt silly for having such thoughts. He felt a hand come to rest on his thigh under the table, sending his heart to racing. "Link," he whispered. "I love you. _Tön lalu fara_. If you ever start to doubt me or yourself again, just remember that, okay?" His ruby eyes sparkled with warmth.

"I—you're right, Sheik. Thanks." Link smiled, squeezing the hand on his leg. "I love you too."

Sheik smiled back at him. "Always."

Link felt a tendril of warmth flow downward from his belly. He swallowed roughly. The 'not yet' he had spoken of not too long ago seemed to be nearing closer to them every day.

* * *

**Ah, so Kafei may have a bigger part to play in this little tale, eh? It seems there's trouble brewing somewhere in southern Termina as well. I wonder what it could be! ^-^**

**If you liked the story or have any comments, tips, or questions, go ahead and let me know in a review. Thank you so much once again to all my readers! I appreciate you guys so much!**


	15. Resignation to Better Things

**Hey guys! This is Chapter 15! We're on our way! I'm not entirely sure how far along we are with the story yet. I know where everything's headed, I'm just not sure about how long or how many chapters it will take to get there. So thanks for sticking with me, and enjoy Chapter 15!**

Sheik stayed quiet the rest of the walk, half-carrying Link back into the inn. The boy had exhausted himself, thinking he was ready for walking about before his body really was. Kafei had been sitting at the counter with Anju when they came in. As soon as Kafei saw the two of them, he brushed Sheik away and scooped Link up in his arms, turning away and carrying him up the stairs.

Link just looked so small – so helpless wrapped up as he was in the older Sheikah's arms. He gazed down at Sheik from over Kafei's shoulder as he was carried upstairs. Sheik regretted every wrong thing that had been done to that boy, even from before he was around to do any protecting. Not that he had done a good job protecting him recently.

Sheik hadn't started following them yet. His bruised face was weary, and he just looked so uncertain of the world. Sheik didn't know what he was getting them into half the time. And Link kept… doubting him. Probably because he was raised by that no good, Sheikah– hating–.

"I know he may seem a little forward at times… " Anju murmured faintly, standing from her stool and coming over to place a gentle hand low on Sheik's back. "But he . . . means well. He worries, is all. He- he has a life here. A good one. "And he doesn't want anyone... Poking around, risking all we have."

Sheik stepped away from her hand. Though it bore comforting intent, he had no desire for comfort that wasn't given by Link. "You can tell him I feel quite the same way about him as he does me." Sheik muttered back, making for the stairs without another word to Anju.

Sheik passed Kafei as he was coming back down the stairs. Both Sheikah eyed each other with suspicion as they moved by.

"You shouldn't have let him out." Kafei muttered out of the side of his mouth, fiery eyes flashing with something akin to anger. "He insisted I let him stand. he nearly fainted when I set him down in there."

"He's not my pet." Sheik hissed back. "He's not mine to order about."

* * *

When Sheik entered back into their room, locking the door behind him, he found Link on his feet at the window; gazing out with sad eyes as as he braced himself up on the sill.

"Into the bed, now." Sheik ordered, walking over to the bed himself where he sat to unlace his boots.

Link turned to watch him, bright sapphire eyes now cloudy and dark. "Kafei told me something."

Sheik snorted disdainfully. "Yeah, me too. And I'll let you guess on how much good it did me."

Link's eyes flickered closed for a moment. Sheik rose from the bed, approaching Link and wrapping his arms around his waist, his fingertips meeting around his back. Link's eyes opened, latching onto Sheik's. "He knew there were Sheikah in town. Besides you."

Sheik's eyes widened. "He knew about the two that-?"

Link nodded, looking away. "Apparently they came by way of the inn, like us. That's why Kafei is so short tempered with you. He just wants us out. And there have been others. Not all of them have stayed here, but he's seen them around. He knows what to look for, after all."

"Where are they going?" Sheik wondered aloud. Then it hit him. "Breyden... There's something going on in Breyden."

Link nodded with him, his eyes never leaving Sheik's. "I know. Sheikah are gathering there, and a lot more than I think we realize."

Sheik's face scrunched up into one of confusion. "But- why?"

Link put a hand on Sheik's chest, touching it gingerly. "I don't know. We're going to have to figure it out for ourselves. I suppose it's better if we do..."

Sheik blinked, looking up at him bemusedly, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It is better. But... Are you alright with this? I know you were worried about not being able to-."

"What I was worried about or wanted doesn't exactly mater anymore." Link pulled out of Sheik's embrace and walked to the bed, sinking down on it with a tired groan.

Sheik followed after him, sitting down cautiously. "Why do you say that?"

Link pulled his feet onto the bed, sighing as he gazed off at the floor. "Because we're going to Breyden, despite what either of us wants or thinks, or what's safe, or-." Link cut himself off. His head hung low, feathery bangs obscuring his eyes. "Because it's something we have to do. And that's that."

"I'm sorry..." Sheik hung his head low as well. He'd had no real idea how trapped Link felt within this situation. A soft squeeze to his hand made him glance up.

Link was smiling at him warmly, almost sheepishly; the pad of his thumb stroked softly over the back of Sheik's hand. "At least we're getting into this stupid mess together." He murmured.

A huge grin broke out on Sheik's face. He stretched his neck out, planting his lips on Link's collar. "How can you say things like that while expecting me to keep my hands off you?" Sheik growled low in his throat.

Link laughed out loud, albeit shakily. He laid back against the pillows cooperatively while Sheik sat and watched him with an interested expression. "Not off me." Link murmured in a husky voice. "Just..." He laughed again, eyes squeezing shut tight as he giggled. "Not off me." He repeated.

"Make up your mind, silly boy." But Sheik had to smile at the younger boy's squeaks and giggles as they played around on the bed. He was happy, for once, in this town that had brought the pair of them nothing but rotten luck.

* * *

Leaving Clock Town had been a quiet affair. Sheik had helped Link early in the morning, and they slipped out through the southern gate while the guard patrol rotated shifts. Link had no idea how long it was until the next town, but he did know that he and Sheik were due for another long road trip. Goddesses, there entire life together so far had been one cracking long road trip! He supposed it was better than nothing. He could be back in Castle Town, still living with Brock, Davin, and Jasten; in other words: miserable. Being with Sheik eased away some of the pain of his past. Link supposed traveling probably took his mind of things a bit as well, but he still resented their traveling to Breyden.

And he missed his cracking horse! They had abandoned her in that town! Link had felt like they-the horse and him-were on shaky terms anyways, what with her hating Sheik and all. But if they were ever reunited, the chestnut mare would be perfectly livid.

Link breathed heavily as he struggled to keep up Sheik's pace with his sore limbs. Sheik kept glancing back at him with a worried expression, but every time that happened, Link would perk right up, pretending to have energy to spare. He didn't dare let on how exhausted he really was... The reason for this he wasn't sure of; Link just knew it was somehow better this way.

"Alright, enough!" Sheik growled, whirling around and putting his hands up to stop Link as he fixed him with a glare. "Stop it! We're resting!"

Though slightly embarrassed, Link sat on the ground gratefully, rubbing his face with his hands as he yawned. "I'm fine." he insisted still.

Sheik snorted. "Liar." He looked up at the sky, which was steadily populating with dark clouds. "With the luck we're having, I think the sky plans to rain on us." He murmured, pulling off his boot and tipping it upside down. Two pebbles fell out of it onto the ground.

"What'll we do about shelter?" Link asked, worried. Even if Sheik curled around him as he usually did, rain meant wet; and wet meant cold.

Sheik looked around at their surroundings. It seemed he was searching for an answer to the very same question. There were a few trees scattered here and there, and in the distance, there was a large-. "There." Sheik declared, pointing off into the distance.

When Link strained his eyes, he could see a large hollow log in the distance, knocked over on its side. He sighed without enthusiasm. "If we must..." Link complied.

Sheik chuckled. "It'll be better than you think, nali." He turned, digging into his pack until he found what looked like a a really plump keese without wings... or legs... or a head. Actually, it didn't really look like anything resembling a keese.

Link wrinkled his nose, causing Sheik to chuckle lowly. "What is that?"

Sheik cocked his head thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose that depends."

Link rolled his eyes. "Depends on what?"

Sheik's eyes lit up and he grinned wickedly. "On what you put into it, nali. Fill it with water, and it's a waterskin. Fill it with-."

"That's wine, isn't it?" Link deadpanned. "It's a wineskin. You have a lot of wine... And you expect me to drink it, do you?"

Sheik laughed aloud, swooping in and pecking Link on the cheek. "It warms your blood, lalu. Why do you think my people drink it to such an extent?" His eyebrows pricked up. "Desert nights are some of the coldest, Link."

Link raised an eyebrow above one sapphire eye in retort. "Yeah, and you'll be cold if I pour that thing on top of your head and make you sleep out in the rain."

Link was reminding him of that first night they had slept next to each other, when he had been withholding the blanket because Sheik had let it slip that he had eaten horses in the past. "I don't think you'll do that, though." Sheik smiled softly.

"No, but I'd certainly be justified if I did." Link retorted once again.

* * *

The clouds emptied their entire reservoirs onto the boys. They had barley enough time to reach the fallen log and spread their blankets before the downpour began. They were lucky Anju had packed them a few days worth of food, because a cook fire would be as likely in this weather as a Goron taking to water.

Sheik unscrewed the cap on the wineskin and took a large swig of it, cringing as his lips came away from the spout. "This is no Sheikah wine." He murmured. "It's terribly bitter." He shook his arms and body out. "But it does its purpose." He offered the skin to Link, who glared back. "What?" Sheik asked innocently.

"What indeed?" Link snatched the skin from Sheik and took a large swig himself, cringing as the bitter fluid flowed over his tongue. "Goddesses, that's-" Link took another swallow. "That's awful."

Sheik watched him, amused, before taking the skin back and drinking once more himself. Link could feel the warmth flow into his cheeks as the wine began working on him. Sheik thrust a piece of bread into Link's hands as he continued rustling around in his pack. Link tore a hunk off of the bread, chewing thoughtfully. "What do you think we'll find in Breyden?" He wondered aloud.

Sheik shrugged as he chewed on his own bread. "Maybe a lot of Sheikah. Maybe none."

"I don't understand any of this." Link murmured, staring off at the blanket. He felt a hand in his hair, and looked up into Sheik's eyes, hoping for comfort, or some wise answer that he himself wouldn't have thought of.

"I don't either, nali. I don't understand much of the world; why it is the way it is, with our races hating one another; and people I don't even know who would say it is wrong for me to be in love with you. I don't think you can understand everything. There's just too much... Too much wrong with the world, and too many bad people in it."

That was it: the wise words Link had been hoping Sheik would say. And while it didn't answer any of the questions Link had been asking, it comforted him in a way the answers he had been looking for never could. On an impulse, Link reached for the wine and took another big swallow of it, and then another. When Sheik raised an eyebrow at him, Link muttered: "I'm cold..."

Sheik laughed and reached for him, catching him by the waist and pulling him close so that their bodies were touching as they finished their bread. Link relaxed against him; the rain pattering on the wood above them making the cave of the fallen log that much cozier.

It was pretty evident to Sheik that it didn't take much wine to get past any and all of Link's inhibitions. The younger boy was currently stretched out on their blanket, giggling quietly about something that was lost on Sheik... whatever it was. Sheik

was sitting against the wall of the log, legs folded underneath him, watching Link while suppressing a grin.

"Goddesses!" Link squeaked, rolling onto his side. "It's not even- what?" he looked around wildly, as if he had no idea where he was.

Sheik chuckled. "Idiot."

"Stupid Sheikah." Link grumbled back, shaking his fist languidly. "You think you're so much... smarter than me! Because you're older and have... These really amazing eyes."

"What?" Sheik chuckled."No I don't."

"Yes you do." Link sat up, facing Sheik. "They're really commanding, and beautiful."

Sheik grinned, cocking his head at Link. "No, I mean that I don't think I'm smarter than you. I agree that I have nice eyes."

Link thrust a hand up in the air. "Conceded!" He declared loudly, dropping his hands and putting them on his hips as he looked at Sheik with a comic display of disapproval.

Sheik covered his mouth with a hand, pushing back a laugh. "Goddesses... I don't remember you being this bad in the desert."

"I didn't drink as much then." Link declared, looking around the small area. "Come to think of it, where's the-."

"No." Sheik affirmed. Luckily, he'd tucked the wine skin back into his pack while Link wasn't looking. "You've had enough."

Link crossed his arms grumpily. "You're the one who wanted me to drink, remember?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think you would be this unmanageable."

Link rose above him , planting himself on Sheik's lap while still facing him. The younger boy's legs firmly pressed on either side of his waist. Sheik let out a quiet purr of surprise. Since when was Link so forward?

"I love you." Link murmured, his sapphire eyes boring right down into Sheik's ruby. Sheik could see some apprehension there in their watery depths.

"Do I detect some angst?" Sheik asked.

Link blinked, confused. "What?"

"I mean stop worrying." Sheik answered, rubbing Link's back with light, dancing fingers. "Whatever is going to happen will come when it comes, and we'll face it then."

Link answered him by leaning in and enrapturing Sheik in the deepest kiss they had ever shared. There hadn't even been any warning: no light brush of lips or uncertain looks; Link was going for it. And goddesses, but if his mouth was open any wider, he would look just like a dead hand. Link's warm breath filled Sheik's mouth, causing him to gasp for air through his nose. Sheik closed his eyes, one hand reaching up and twining itself in Link's feathery soft hair.

That was the moment Link decided to send in his forces and infiltrate Sheik's mouth with his tongue.

"Mmmf-" Sheik was surprised for the briefest of moments before he regained his bearings and pushed Link's tongue back with his own. There was no way he

was going to let Link be the winner like that. Not during their first kiss, and not now.

Link's breath fluttered warmly on his cheek as the younger boy relaxed a bit, settling into submissiveness. Sheik pulled away. "You and wine really don't mix, do you?"

Link shrugged, sitting back on Sheik's lap. "I… just… really- really need you right now, Sheik."

Sheik stared upwards into Link's eyes-usually so easy to read they were like a book-now hazy and enigmatic. "Are you alright, nali?"

Link shook his head, and before Sheik could get another word out, kissed him again hungrily. This time Link's hands were not lifeless. they went places, searching and seeking: along his collarbone, under his shirt and up his spine, his jaw. Sheik was at a loss for words. All of their kissing and touching thus far had been playful and loving. That's not to say this wasn't loving, but it was serious... significant, and new. Its gravity was clearly shown by the tightness and heat Sheik was feeling-and was quite sure Link was as well-down below.

Sheik's own hand slipped under Link's shirt, which was hanging open loosely around his waist. It was hard for him to imagine a deeper pleasure than this, but he knew there had to be several, because Link and he were both still fully clothed. He rested his palm against Link's pelvic bone, fingers smoothly grazing the soft skin, going deeper and slipping beneath the waist of his pants...

Link stiffened, pulling away from the kiss. "Sheik, what-?"

"What?" Sheik said at the same time as Link. They looked at each other, and Link slowly slid off his lap, sitting on the blanket once more. "What did I do?" Sheik asked again, suddenly very afraid that he had gone too far too fast, and that Link would resent him for it.

Link blushed a deep scarlet and looked away.

Sheik groaned quietly, laying his head back against the wall of the stump with a 'thunk'. "Link, are you uncomfortable with me?" Sheik looked down his nose at him.

"No." Link murmured softly, suddenly very intrigued with the torn hem of his shirt.

"Then wh-"

"I'm sorry." The younger boy glanced up from under his lashes, blue eyes glassy and looking as though they were about the spill over.

Sheik sighed, moving to sit on his knees as he put a gentle hand on Link's back to soothe him. "Don't be sorry. I went too fast, all right? It's my fault."

"No it isn't!" Link whispered, wiping his eyes and looking away. "I-." He looked down to his lap, where a slightly noticeable bulge could be seen. Sheik followed his gaze.

"Lalu, it's fine. Another night." Sheik moved away a bit, thinking to give the boy some space.

"No!" Link's hand shot out, clutching Sheik's shirt in a death grip that would rival a... Well, a dead hand's. That was twice in ten minutes Sheik had compared Link to one of those awful creatures. But the problem was, each time Sheik drew the connection, it was entirely appropriate. And it was scaring him.

Sheik shook his head, exasperated and confused. "What do you want me to do, then Link? Because you're being the epitome of mixed signals right now."

Link tightened his hand on Sheik's shirt. "Kiss me." Link breathed, leaning forward.

Sheik licked his lips, unsure; but then he succumbed to the temptation Link kept placing before him and then snatching away, and brought his lips to his nali's.

Link's reaction was instant. Strong arms were pushing against him, and then the world turned and Sheik was on his back. The younger boy's lips were at Sheik's throat, and his soft golden hair was teasing at his chin. And more distractingly, his hips were rubbing against Sheik in a way that had his back arching against him.

Sheik grunted, holding Link to him and rolling them over so that Link was beneath him. "I'll fight you on that every time you try it, nali." Sheik whispered huskily into Link's ear, knowing he would understand the meaning.

Link ignored him, hands going to the clasp on Sheik's trousers.

Sheik blinked at him. He was so unsure of what Link might do now that he just kept perfectly still and waited for whatever was going to happen to happen. But then the clasp was undone, and his pants were being slid off his body. He responded instantly by tugging Link's shirt over his head. A lot of the time, Sheik took Link's appearance for granted. He knew the younger boy was strong, yes, but most of the time his general and overall smallness caused him to forget that strength; and that there were muscles beneath that clothing. Link was just simply . . . wonderful.

Sheik's shirt stayed on, unlike Link's own pants, which were next to go. They're legs twined together, skin to skin. Sheik had been wanting this, oh yes, but his teeth chattered and his gut pulled, making him realize just how nervous he was. He knew with certainty that whatever they did that night would be a first for the both of them.

"Oh," Link broke away and squeezed his eyes shut. Some movement Sheik made must have been too much or doubly effective or something. Sheik sat back, balancing on his hips, watching the younger boy shudder beneath him. They wouldn't be able to go all the way that night; not with Link as jumpy as he was, but Sheik could still do something for him. Besides, there would be other nights, other opportunities for this. Sheik would love Link forever, and as far as he was concerned, that was exactly how long they had. "Just lie still, nali," Sheik whispered lovingly, reaching up and stroking along a strand of Link's hair. With a shaky breath, one of Sheik's hands went to the hem of Link's undershorts, and the other softly stroked alone one of the bruises on his arms.

We'll be alright. Sheik told himself, thinking of all that lay in store for them in the future. He'd give Link what he could tonight, to comfort him; to show him his love. And he was perfectly at peace with that. More than peace, actually. It was bliss.

* * *

"I think you're reading that map wrong." Link giggled as they walked. "We've seen absolutely nothing for miles."

"Don't get cocky with me." Sheik chuckled at his own joke while Link dramatically rolled his eyes.

"Very funny." Link snorted. He acted annoyed, but his face was kind. Perhaps even a little warm and fuzzy. Sheik had to admit to himself that that's what he was feeling. They had taken another step in their relationship last night, and while they still had many stepping stones to cross on the wide river of love, they'd be enjoying themselves that much more now. Sheik grew a sly grin on his face with that thought. "I wonder what Jasten and Davin would think know, if they could see me. If they... knew..." Link's face reddened.

Sheik shrugged. "All I know is that I've never seen that expression on your face before, and I'm quite sure that I'm the only one who can get you there, nali. So why worry about what others would think? We're happy."

Link smacked his arm, but agreed. "Yeah. I... I trust you, Sheik. With anything. Everything."

"With my life, lalu." Sheik grinned perversely. "And quite a bit more."

**Guys, guys, I know that wasn't the whole lovey-dovey scene you were expecting. (The big shebang, you know? That big moment?). All I can say is that there will be a time and place, and it just wasn't yet. I did feel, however, that it was time to get poor Link over his aversion to intimacy. So voila! **

**Thank you! Once more, thanks a million bajillion for sticking through this with me. It means a lot to me to know that there are people out there who are eager to know how this little story plays out.**

**Questions? Comments? Tips? Maybe even suggestions/requests? Send a review my way!**


	16. Waiting

**I hope you weren't expecting any fluff bunnies. That's all I have to say on that matter, sadly. ^-^**

**Before you begin reading, I'd just like to make a quick shout-out to all the people who have added this story to their alerts or favorites, and especially my wonderful reviewers. You guys make this story a lot of fun to write, and your ideas and comments give me so many wonderful ideas of my own! So thanks! :)**

**Anyways, I'll stop being Rambler McBlabberMouth over here so you guys can read. Enjoy!**

* * *

The bow and quiver hanging on Sheik's back felt like little protection against the upcoming storm. He had been trained for almost a whole decade in the desert, but they weren't going to be facing poorly trained Hylian guards. There would most likely be Sheikah; just like him and just as skilled. He wasn't concerned for his own sake, but Link... with his pointed ears and blue eyes... he was a dead giveaway. Sheikah... Most of them hated the Hylians, and rightly so in his opinion, but there was no helping them being all too quick to judge Link based upon his heritage alone.

Sheik knew Link; he knew how very different and open-minded the boy was when juxtaposed to his countrymen. It was amazing how he was raised by a man like his father and still turned out the way he was. One far extreme bred from another.

Sheik had never had parents like that to draw experience and wisdom from. He'd had Fen and Betali, but it just wasn't the same. Of course, Fen had never taught him to hold hatred in his heart. Sheik had learned from him to always take the higher road; to not make judgements before you understood the entirety of a situation. Not even good judgements. Oftentimes, the worst calamities could come from the best intentions.

* * *

_"When I give the signal, I want all of you to pair off and start fighting. This assessment will be based off how well you do in hand-to-hand combat. Keep in mind good form and knowledge of your opponent." A loud whistle was blown, and the young recruits immediately began pairing up with each other._

_This was it. Their tenth-year exam. It was the third they had taken since they all began training two years ago. Things had gotten easier as they had all gotten taller and sprouted longer legs. Being ten, it was still difficult to perfectly replicate fighting techniques that the adults showed them, but Sheik was getting better every day._

_Sheik looked around the group of sandy-haired children and spotted a boy who was scowling at the crowd in quite the same way he was. His name was Ithan. Sheik knew him well from childhood; they had played together when they were little kids. He made his way over to him and raised an eyebrow._

_"Want to be partners?" Ithan asked._

_Sheik nodded an affirmative, and they both dropped into fighting stances. Ithan dropped low to the ground and kicked out straight at his neck, but Sheik avoided it by springing backwards in a low backflip. Coming out of the flip, Sheik twisted in the air and caught Ithan's temple with the lowest and largest knuckle of his right thumb. The force of the impact coupled with the pressure point Sheik had hit brought Ithan down to his knees, gritting his teeth at the pain and holding his head with both hands as if it were about to explode._

_"Sheik, stand down!" One of the instructors came running over, kneeling down beside Ithan and inspected the red welt Sheik's knuckle had left on the other boy's temple. _

_Sheik's eyes widened as all the other recruits looked at the spectacle he had caused. "I was only doing what you said to." He complained_

_"The object of this exercise wasn't to bring your partner down so fast that neither of you gained any experience from the brawl." The instructor hissed out cooly, glaring at Sheik as she held Ithan's shoulders._

_Sheik raised an eyebrow in confusion. "But you didn't specify that. How was I to know? I thought the best way to fight was to bring down your opponents as quickly and surely as possible?"_

_The Sheikah woman gaped at him. Sheik tried to keep the smug smile off his face. He would be punished if the instructor saw it. She pursed her lips as she spoke her response lowly and cooly. "Just because you may be more advanced than the other children does not mean you can use that advantage against them. They must learn too. Yet how can they if you strike them down every time?"_

_Sheik shrugged. "I should be worried about my education, not theirs. I already have a people's oath to pay in Castle Town. I have to be perfect by the time I'm seventeen. Shouldn't that be my objective? Not to work at a slower pace so that the others can catch up to me."_

_"Sheik, back to your tent, now!" The instructor growled, scooping Ithan up in her arms. "And Fen will be hearing of your disobedience here today." _

_Sheik sighed as he turned and walked across the hot sand back to camp. He couldn't help it if he was better than all of them. And _besides_, waiting around and helping out while they caught up to him would be _boring, _and it would take _forever! _He didn't particularly _want_ to go to Castle Town like his parents had said in their letter, but he had to. What was wrong with him wanting to be ready?_

_These thoughts nagged at him all the way back to his tent, where he slumped down on the cot and tore his recruit's uniform off. It was only a red leather jerkin worn over their regular clothes, but it could get _hot _wearing it all the time out under the scorching desert sun._

_Fen would be coming by soon to scold him. Sheik lay back against the cot, folding his hands behind his head as he thought. His mother and father wanted him in Castle Town, even though they weren't there. He wished they had of been able to stay. He hated seeing all the other kids sitting at the clan tables at night with their families, laughing and drinking, while he sat alone or with Fen and Betali, quietly brooding._

_None of this was fair! He still had tons of things to learn! Seven more years of training, and learning figures as well as Hylain. He _hated_ speaking Hylian. It sounded awkward and clunky on his tongue. Sheik much preferred the dulcet sounds of the Sheikan language. It was easier to understand, and it sounded better._

_This whole training thing was stupid. He like learning, but hated that he was only learning this stuff so that somebody else, some _princess,_ could use him for it in a few more years. _

_He turned onto his side, closing his eyes. Fen may have been coming soon, but he could wake Sheik up when he got there._

* * *

"What're you thinking about?" Sheik was pulled away from his memories as Link's calloused hand slid into his own, squeezing gently. "You're being really quiet."

Sheik looked at his curious face for a moment before sighing and shaking his head ever so slightly. "Nothing, _nali_. Only the past."

"I know the feeling." Link commented darkly, looking away.

Sheik knew that was an understatement. Were he Link, he probably wouldn't even be able to function because he'd be so wrought with grief and sadness. Link was stronger than him in that aspect. He squeezed the hand back, pulling its owner closer and sliding an arm around Link's waist instead. "Ah, but I've helped you create a few bright memories."

Link chuckled. "That burn away the darkness."

Sheik raised his famous eyebrow. "'That burn away the darkness.' " He repeated. "Are you feeling poetic?"

"Not especially." Link admitted, looking at the ground. "I'm just trying to keep my mind off of things. We've got to be nearly there by now."

Sheik nodded. "According to that map, we'll reach Breyden's outskirts late today or early tomorrow, depending on if it gets too dark to travel."

"Are you frightened at all?" Link asked.

"A bit." Sheik answered curtly. Perhaps a little too curt. Link immediately turned to look at him with knowing eyes.

"But not for yourself." He concluded smartly, with a hollow voice.

"No..." Sheik admitted. " My presence amongst other Sheikah-especially if they're all gathering here to hide-won't mean much. _I_ won't mean much. I'll just be another one of them. But you-." Sheik cleared his throat as he thought. "You're the enemy; a threat. As with the two in Clock Town, I don't think whoever we find will take to kindly to your presence."

Link sighed tiredly. "Don't they know I can't help it if everyone I'm related to is an idiot?"

"Unfortunately for us, no." Sheik hummed, bending his neck over and kissing the side of Link's blonde tresses. "But you know me."

"I do know you." Link agreed, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"You know that as long as you're _with me_," Sheik said pointedly, silently referring to Link's solitary walk in Clock Town that had led to disaster. Link cleared his throat, embarrassed. "I will protect you with my life."

"I'd say the same, you know." Link rubbed his thumb absentmindedly over the collar of his jacket as they walked. "But I'm not very... experienced when it comes to protecting."

"Ah yes, well _you_ didn't have to endure nearly ten years of battle training." Sheik replied.

"Nope." Link agreed, killing the conversation right then and there. Ah, well, Sheik hadn't been particularly attached to the topic anyways.

They had come to the crest of a large hill that obscured the next forested valley from their view. As they reached the top, Sheik breathed in slowly. This could very well have been what they'd been looking for. From within the trees came several pillars of smoke, wafting up from what were undoubtedly cook fires hidden within the trees below.

"Do you think that's them?" Link asked, looking at him.

"I think it's something." Sheik answered simply, heading down into the valley below.

* * *

Antony narrowed his eyes as he dismissed the guard that had just given him the news that two outsiders had been spotted on the northern hilltop. He stood, exiting the small command tent and set out to find Hanna. He would need her by his side when his men brought the two to stand before him. Besides, what kind of a leader of the Rebel Sheikah forces faced outsiders without his _nali_ by his side? Perhaps some would, but not him.

He found her with a group of other women, sitting close together by a fire and gossiping in the fading light. "Hanna." Antony spoke softly, giving her a look that needed no explaining.

Hanna turned her bright red eyes on him in surprise. "More?" She asked disbelievingly.

He nodded his affirmation. "Two of them, on the northern hill."

"When will they be here?" She asked brightly.

"I have already sent guards out after them."

Hanna stood and reached for his hand. Antony took hers and kissed it softly before leading her away, towards the center of the large camp.

* * *

Sheik's head shot up as he heard a sudden twig snap not far in the distance. That was odd... certainly if there were Sheikah hunting them, they would be more quiet about it. But then Link's voice sounded form somewhere in the distance. "Sheik?" He called softly.

"Link, I thought I told you to stay near me!" Sheik growled, trying to use that 'voice' that Link had said he used when telling the boy what to do. He hurried forward until he had his eyes on the him again. "Please, for the sake of my sanity, stay behind me. _Close_ behind me." He growled.

Link's cheeks reddened slightly as he let Sheik go before him. "Right. Sorry."

Sheik did not answer as he moved further through the pines. It was odd how quiet this forest was, really. There were no sounds of game; almost as if all the creatures were hiding because real hunters had already moved in.

Sheik's mind came back to the present as he heard Link yelp from behind him and then come crashing into him, taking them both to the ground. "Link, what are you-?"

"Shh," Link hissed. "I saw something up ahead. It was a flash of blue, like clothing."

"Rise." Came a steely voice from behind them. Cursed goddesses! With all the noise Link had just made tackling him to the ground, Sheik had missed the three Sheikah who had snuck up on them from behind. Of all the cracking rotten luck...

"Stand, and surrender your weapons." One of them ordered.

Sheik slowly stood just as Link did, reaching behind him and unstrapping his bow and quiver, sending them clattering to the ground where one of the three retrieved them. "We don't mean any harm-." Sheik began, hands out in surrender as he turned slowly and met the eyes of the three attackers.

"Antony will be the decider of that. Go." The Sheikah waved his bow, prodding them forward. Sheik hoped that Link knew enough to keep his eyes down. If he was discovered... Sheik was deathly afraid of what might happen once they met this _Antony._

They were led into a large encampment. Other Sheikah watched them as they were brought to what seemed to be the center of the whole place. There were literally _hundreds_ of other Sheikah here. And there were _children. _Children too young to have made the trip from Hyrule. Children who Sheik guessed had been born there.

When they came to the center, Sheik and Link were both left to stand freely in a small dirt clearing that was ringed with spectators. A middle-aged man stood before them, facing the two of them; a small, attractive women stood at his side. Sheik glanced over at Link with worry; the boy had his head down, bangs obscuring his aqua blue eyes from anyone's sight. Good. Maybe he would be safe after all. Maybe they _could_ get through this. "You don't have to do this." Sheik spoke, looking up at the man and woman who were so obviously the leaders of this village. "We've been looking for you."

The man raised his brow. "You found us." He looked at the woman and then began pacing around Sheik and Link, inspecting them as if they were stock. "Why have you come?"

Sheik struggled for an answer. "We... we were going to settle down in the area, and... wanted to be sure there were no threats nearby."

The man took longer on inspecting Link; circling him twice with his arms folded behind his back. "What are your names?"

"I'm Sheik, and-." Sheik glanced up in surprise at the woman, who had given a tiny gasp at his name, a hand going up to her mouth in shock. Sheik looked back at his lover. "And this is Link."

The man faced Link, placing a hand under his chin and forcing the boy to look him in the eye. "Tell me, _Sheik_," he murmured as he stared into Link's frightened blue eyes with an expression that seemed almost bored. "Why have you brought a Hylian into our midst?"

The tension in the camp grew tenfold as soon as the question left the man's mouth. The Sheikah who were ringing the clearing all hissed to each other, trying to get a closer look at the enemy boy. The man dropped Link's chin, walking away a few steps. "Restrain him." He ordered quietly.

Two Sheikah men came up from behind Link with rope. Sheik took one look at the cruel expressions on their faces before throwing himself between them and his _nali_. He had sworn to protect him, and goddesses be damned! That was exactly what he planned on doing, never mind his own safety.

"No, you don't understand!" He cried, but was grabbed and pulled away by two _other_ Sheikah. He fought them, though. He clawed, bit, scratched, and struggled, but they were both bigger than him. He watched in horror as one of the men pushed Link to the ground forcefully, holding his arms back as the other tied him. "Stop!" Sheik screamed, trying to get to his _nali_. The young boy looked so small, so helpless pinned beneath the two full-grown Sheikah like that. Nothing about this was fair. "You can't do this!" Everything he had been fearing was happening. He was deathly afraid.

"And why can't we?" The leader raised an eyebrow at him, nodding to the two guards as they yanked a broken Link to his feet, each of them holding either of his tied arms as he slumped between them.

"Antony." The small woman touched the man's shoulder lightly as she passed him and approached Sheik. "What was your name, child?" She asked, in a calm, surprisingly low voice.

"I am Sheik. Of the Northern Desert Tribes. _Please_." He stressed impatiently. "Let him go."

The woman extended her hand, lightly brushing a shock of Sheik's hair away from his brow. "Northern tribes?" She whispered.

Sheik ignored her, struggling against the guards once more. Goddesses, he _hated_ being small! "He hasn't done anything!" He pleaded with the woman now, for she was the only one who seemed to be listening.

She blinked at him. "You're supposed to be in Hyrule, child. At the castle."

Sheik stopped struggling for a moment. "How do you know that?"

The woman ignored him, reaching a hand behind her and calling for the man. "Antony."

"What is it Hanna?" When the leader put his hand in hers as she wanted, she brought it up and brushed his knuckles against Sheik's cheek. Sheik recoiled, kicking out and baring his teeth angrily.

"I believe this is our son, _nali_." The woman named Hanna answered softly, staring at Sheik in wonder. "Though what he is doing here I do not know."

"Sheik?" Antony asked, bewildered, looking closer at him. "_Our_ _Sheik_?"

"What are you talking about?" Sheik hissed vehemently, glancing over the man's shoulder to see Link watching the scene unfold with wide, terrified eyes. Sheik had let him down... He'd sworn to protect him, and now...

"It _is_ him." Hanna said, turning to face Antony. "He said the Northern Tribes."

"But... The princess..." Antony murmured, looking back at her with confusion. "We were going to free him when this was all over."

_When this is all over? When _what _is all over? _"Whoever you are," Sheik spat. "I freed myself. Now let both of us _go_."

"Is it really so hard to believe, Sheik? We ensured that you would be in Castle Town when you came of age, so we could get you back when..." The woman trailed off, pursing her lips as if she had almost let something big slip.

"I'm supposed to believe you two are my mother and father?"

"I left you with Fen..." Hanna whispered, drawing closer to Antony. " He agreed to raise you and see you to Castle Town. How did you free yourself, _lalu?"_

"With _his_ help." Sheik jerked his chin towards Link. "I wouldn't be here without him, so make these bastards let us both go." Sheik said icily.

Antony nodded, and the two Sheikah who had been holding Sheik let him go. He tried to walk past them to Link, but Antony stood in his way. Sheik looked at the boy. His lover's face was so... helpless. It was clear that Link had already resigned himself to whatever fate might befall him. So that left Sheik to fight.

"If you really are my mother and father, then let him go!" Sheik begged, something he never thought he'd see himself do. "Please."

"Why?" Antony asked back, just as icy as Sheik had been.

Sheik considered his options. There weren't many. The only way to... but could he do that? Sheik swallowed roughly, looking up at Antony with everything he felt for Link showing in his eyes. His love, gratefulness, attraction. "You cannot kill him." He whispered. And it was true. By Sheikah law, because of what Link was to him, they could not kill the boy. Sheik knew it, but would they accept it? Or even believe him?

"Why?" Antony repeated, growing obviously impatient. "What good is he to us? A Hylian? He and his race are the reason my people are here in this foreign land, hiding and waiting like cowardly dogs!"

"You cannot kill him." Sheik whispered again, looking up into his father's eyes. "He is my _nali_."

A collective gasp rose from the spectators, Hanna, and Antony alike. Sheik was not surprised. He knew, like them, that he was supposed to hate Link just as much, for everything that had been done to his people at the Hylian's hands. But he also knew that wasn't the only reason. Link wasn't some damsel in distress hanging over there; he was every bit as man as Sheik, and he knew that that might not sit well with some of the people here.

"So you cannot harm him." Sheik continued. "It goes against our laws! He is different! Do you think that I would love him if he were the same as his countrymen? Why would I be protecting him?" Sheik broke past Antony and Hanna, but was caught by another guard before he could reach Link. He was turned to face them; but before either of them could speak, he opened his mouth. He had more to say. "If you hurt him, then you break one of our most sacred rules. You cannot kill the_ one that is of my heart_, and if you do, you're no better than our Hylian enslavers." His eyes narrowed.

Hanna turned to Antony. "He is right, _nali_. We cannot do such a thing."

Antony glowered at Sheik. Sheik had managed to find the one way that he could do Link no harm. And while some of the other Sheikah might not honor that, Sheik knew that he would.

"Bentlen!" Antony cried, and an especially tall Sheikah stepped forward from the ring of spectators. Sheik assumed it was someone his father trusted.

"Sir?" Bentlen asked.

"Take the Hylian boy to an empty tent and have your men stand guard. _No one_ is to enter that tent unless they are accompanied by _me_, understood?"

"Yes sir!" Bentlen spread three fingers across his heart, in a traditional Sheikan salute of on honor before he motioned the the two who were holding Link to follow him.

"Sheik!" Link cried, struggling to free himself from their iron holds. Sheik watched, powerless, with his heart about to burst. If anyone here so much as laid a finger on him, Sheik would rage through the camp and kill _everyone_ within sight. That was a promise to himself and to Link. _I love you_. He mouthed to Link as his _nali _was hauled out of sight.

* * *

Once Link was gone, Sheik was taken away to a different tent with his parents. They gave him a chair inside, but he refused to sit. Instead, he paced. "You have to let me go to him." Sheik's fingers twined into his own hair; he wanted to tear it out in his frustration. He turned to Antony. "I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to him!"

"That's a lot to promise him, son. Especially since it's apparent you can't follow through with your duties." Antony remarked. Sheik knew he was referring to him not staying in Castle Town like he was 'supposed to'.

"Think what you will of me, I don't care, but don't stereotype him! He's not like the others!"

Hanna sighed from where she sat. "Antony, he is right. Let Sheik go to him. What harm can it do? You saw the boy. He is small, harmless. It will be alright."

Sheik nodded furiously. "Please. You have to."

"The Hylian may be harmless, but Sheik is not." He insisted. When they both just looked at him, however, he consented. "Fine." Antony grunted. "Come with me. Hanna." The two joined hands as Sheik followed them around the camp to wherever Link had been taken. Other Sheikah watched him closely as he passed between their tents. They were equally curious and wary of him, watching as he passed with still, cold eyes. Sheik could imagine some of the questions possibly running through their heads. Who was this young Sheikah boy? Was he really the son of their great leaders? Why had he brought the enemy into their midst? They just didn't understand... Probably never would...

Before long, the three came to a large white tent surrounded by guards, each equipped with deadly-looking short swords. Antony nodded to them, and the one Sheik recognized as Bentlen nodded back and stepped aside, allowing Sheik to move the flap and walk past into the cool darkness of the tent. What he saw shocked him.

There was a large post buried in the ground in the middle of the tent that was holding up the roof of the canvas. Two arms clothed in a familiar brown jacket were wrapped around it, wrists tied together behind it. Sheik circled the post, heart soaring when Link turned his head to look up at him with frightened blue eyes. Sheik knelt down before him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders in a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry..." Sheik whispered, pulling back to look at him again.

"Are they going to let me go?" Link asked quietly.

Sheik massaged his shoulder as he looked into his eyes. They were glowing sadly in the darkness. "I don't know." He admitted, looking at the ground, feeling ashamed that he hadn't been able to do anything to help him, even among his own people. He heard Link sigh roughly, and then the boy surprised him by stretching his neck forward and catching Sheik's lips within his own.

Sheik scooted forward, pressing their chests together and tangling their half-folded legs. Little puffs of warm breath blew against his cheek. He lightly took Link's chin in his hand, stroking it smoothly as they kissed.

"Is this your trying to convince me of something, son?" Sheik broke his lips away from Link's mouth and looked up at his father with loathing. He hadn't noticed him and Hanna entering the tent behind him.

"_This_," Sheik growled deathly low. "Has nothing to do with you."

"Is it true?" Link asked quietly, looking at Sheik closely. His bangs were falling into his eyes, slightly obscuring them so Sheik couldn't read his emotions from their depths as he usually did. He felt cut off. "They're really your-parents?"

"They're no more my family than a rock and a tree." Sheik assured him, casting a cold gaze upon them. Hanna had a hand to her mouth in shock, but Antony was simply scowling. "I had Fen and Betali for that." Sheik continued speaking, half to himself. He turned back to Link, smiling. " And now I have you. They're not my family. They don't even _know_ me."

"You may stay in here for now..." Antony murmured thoughtfully. "I'll send food and blankets."

"We'll have made a decision by morning." Hanna whispered, though it was certainly ambiguous what that decision would be about.

"Know that any food you bring him, I'll be trying it first!" Sheik growled. He didn't know if they were capable of such an underhanded move as poisoning Link, but it wouldn't surprise him and he wouldn't put it past them.

Hanna took Antony's hand silently, and the two of them exited the tent without another word to either of the boys.

Sheik turned back to Link. His head was down, and he was sniffling quietly. "Please don't cry, _nali_." Sheik scooted closer to him. "I promise that I'll get you out of here. Somehow."

Link looked up at him with tear-stained eyes. "You know I can't go without you."

"And I don't think you'll have to." Sheik tried to reassure him, placing a cool hand on his cheek, but Link pulled away. "It's only if the worst happens!"

Link jerked back against the post. "The worst has already happened!" He shouted. Sheik could hear voices outside, probably debating whether to come inside and break apart the source of the yelling. "Sheik, I'm tied to a giant fucking post in the middle of a camp of people who _hate_ everything I am! What else could possibly happen to make this worse besides them killing me?!"

Sheik flinched away. He had no idea Link even knew that word, let alone that he was capable of using it. "They can't hate everything you are because they have no idea who you are!" Goddesses, was he pleading? And for what?

"Oh yeah, and they were so keen on listening to you tell them that before!" He sneered back.

What was even happening right now? Sheik closed his eyes. "Link. I told you before we ever left Castle Town that staying with me wouldn't be easy. Now, it _really _hasn't been, but you can't blame me for that."

"I don't blame you." Link sniffed. "I'm just... so scared, Sheik. What are they even doing here?" He was referring to the camp. "If they just wanted freedom from the Hylians, why didn't they go their own way and get homes and lives of their own? Isn't this awfully close to Hyrule for comfort? Why are they camped in a forest, out of their desert setting, just-waiting." Link glanced up at him swiftly, then away again. "That's it, isn't it? They're waiting."

Sheik cocked his head in confusion, still wary of another angry outburst. "Waiting for what?"

Link swallowed roughly. "You have to find out. From your parents, Sheik. Something weird is going on around here, and it-it doesn't feel right."

* * *

**Liked the story? Tips for me/ideas/suggestions? Leave me a review so I can know what you guys are thinking! ^_^**


	17. Plans

**Just a warning, I wasn't as thorough with editing this chapter as I have been with the last few, so if you see any typos, I do apologize. I'll get back to fix them when I can.**

**Enjoy Chapter 17!**

Dinner at the kitchen table was an awkward time of day for everyone involved. There wasn't much to talk about that didn't bring up... well...

Davin took a sidelong glance at Jasten, searching and desperate for something to break the silence. "Jasten, how are things going with-uh, what's her name?" Why had he said that? He knew her name well enough. Jasten hardly ever shut up about her.

"Rosalyn." Davin's younger brother grew a soft smile on his face as he thought on his love. "Things are going well with her. Real well."

"Do I need to speak to her folks?" Father asked from around a mouthful of cheese curd. His eyes slid over to pin Jasten in an awkward stare that only parents are capable of administering. "Are you serious about the girl?"

"Well, yeah, I wanna marry her, but-."

"But what, boy?" Brock was-for the first time since Davin could remember-beaming a huge, benign smile. "That's wonderful news!" He gave a booming laugh. Goddesses, he was really, truly happy. Davin studied his brother's face carefully as it pulled together with worry. Oh yes, he was on guard. The look of apprehension slowly spread, and before long Brock was wearing it as well. "Jasten, is there a problem?"

With a great huff of breath, Jasten threw down his fork, glaring at their father. "It just doesn't feel right! Asking her, when-when..."

Davin immediately understood. It wouldn't be much of a wedding without their bemused little brother there grinning all wide and stupid at them all, as he always did. But that was a touchy subject here. Especially since Link was, as their father put it: out sodomizing it up with a Sheikah rat. So Link wasn't really thought about as a member of the family anymore, even after they had already lost so many. Now he was just that thing you never brought up or talked about.

"When what?" Brock growled out low. It was a chilling, menacing sound. Brock had rarely raised a hand to either of them; Link had endured the worst of what Brock could dish out, but Davin knew that their father couldn't control his anger very well, and so anything was likely to happen. It wasn't like they didn't deserve some sort of reprimanding, for standing idle by while their brother was clearly so miserable, trying to search for himself and seek happiness while at the same time fighting for his right to it. But Brock certainly wasn't the right one to be administering said reformations, not when he was even more guilty of wronging Link than the two boys.

Davin didn't even care that Link had run off with a boy. It really didn't bother him; he thought it normal. Of course, there were those... experiences he had had with Luca back in Ordon... But he didn't speak of those to anyone. The point was that he understood how Link could feel that way about another boy. Those times were behind him, and besides, he had never found another boy that had sparked him as Luca did, and he had his eyes on a girl of his own, if she would ever stop playing hard to get...

"Davin, what in the name of Din is your brother talking about?" Brock turned to him. Davin took in his expression, but felt only frustrated. Sweet Farore! If he knew, why was he bloody asking?

"Link, dad." Davin took a large swallow of water, holding his chin up with a lazy hand and elbow on the table. "He doesn't want to get married without Link there."

Davin had been expecting some sort of frightening outburst, but Brock rarely reacted as expected nowadays. He didn't say a word. He slid his chair back from the table without a word and thundered off to his bedroom, the door closing with a loud slam. Jasten cursed in the silence and stabbed a fork at the potato on his plate.

"Do you think he'll ever come back?" Jasten looked over at him, brow wrinkled. "It sucks having him gone, especially after..."

"No." Davin murmured without emotion. "Dad chased him away for good. Can't say I blame him either."

His younger brother stabbed angrily at his food again. He wasn't going to find any answers by stabbing at that plate... "It's partly his fault, you know. For being queer."

Davin dropped his fork, and it clattered loudly onto the table. "You sound a lot like dad." Davin spoke through his teeth. "Too bad he's not out here. You'd make him proud."

"Shut up." Jasten snarled. "Who the hell do you think you are? You're not special, you never had any special connection with him; so why are you pretending to know him so much better all the sudden?"

Davin cast his eyes up at him in irritation. "What are you getting so worked up for?"

Jasten shot out of his seat like a deku scrub out of the ground. Likewise, it looked as if he'd enjoy throwing some sort of object at him, similar to his leafy counterpart. "Because lately it's been like you think you're better than us or something." He looked furious, but there was something there, a deep hurt lingering in the depths of his coffee-brown eyes.

Davin pushed back from the table as well, albeit in a calmer fashion than Jasten. "I don't think that." He murmured softly, standing. "It's been hard on all of us... this past year. I can't help if it I don't express my frustrations in the same way as you or dad."

Jasten's eyes narrowed, but he looked mostly confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well," Davin sighed tiredly. "Link and I are alike in the fact that we're both quiet about most things unless pushed further than we can stand. You and dad end up just being... angry all the time. Which is, I think, why he left." He turned, taking his plate to the little wash bucket on the floor before turning and heading towards the room that he and Jasten used to share. But it was just his now.

"And now you're leaving too?" Jasten snarled.

"Not anytime soon." Davin called over his shoulder before shutting the door to his room tight. He went over to the hard wooden bed and flopped down on the straw tick mattress.

Davin didn't know what in the name of the goddesses was coming over him lately. Link and him had never been close, even as kids; so why did he all of the sudden feel such a gaping hole in his absence? Could it be that he really and honestly just missed his little brother? Well, sure, it was strange not having him sitting quietly somewhere reading something, but it's not like he was a huge part of his life. But what else could it be? It was gnawing at Davin's insides, his constant thinking about his little brother. Could it be that... he was jealous? After all, Link had been the one with enough bravery to basically give their father the good ol' 'up yours' and high tail it out of this place. He was stronger, better. He had the courage to love some boy in the face of everyone in Hyrule. Goddesses knew how much ridicule they were probably getting.

Davin wasn't in love with anyone, but he still felt the urge to leave. Perhaps it was just his age. After all, all boys came to a certain age when they just didn't fit inside their own house anymore. Generally, that was when they would take a wife and move on, but that just didn't sound practical to Davin. Or rather, it sounded too practical. He had done what he was supposed to do all his life, and now, frankly, he was tired of it. But even with Davin at the age of nineteen, he knew Brock would go mad if he was to leave now. Their mother was gone, and Haera, and now Link. If Davin left... well, it would break his dad's heart; his old heart probably couldn't take much more grief.

Davin had seen him, sitting alone at the table or in his room: crying. He used to do it on the road at night, but it had stopped once they reached Castle Town. When Link took off, the crying started up again. Sometimes he could even hear it at night. Davin came out of his thoughts for a moment to listen, turning his head to the side and freeing one ear of his dark, wavy hair...

Sure enough, there was a muffled sobbing coming from the next room over. The really sick part was that Davin didn't feel sorry for him. Not at all. The man had made bad choices in his life: with Link, his constant irritation with Haera, and his refusal to get his family out of harm's way before those brutes descended on Ordon. Just for once, that man deserved to feel truly terrible sorrow for all he'd done. Davin knew he himself had done wrong as well; he wasn't being hypocritical. But he knew what his punishment for it was, sure enough, and he accepted it. It was listening to his father, a grown man that he had looked up to, blubbering like a small child in the next room.

* * *

It was hard to stay asleep as soon as the sun rose above the wall of the big hill to the north, because it filtered in none too brightly through the white canvas of the tent. Sheik's nose twitched against the back of Link's neck as he came awake and realized the cold for the first time. Once his paren-once the lead Sheikahs had left the tent, Sheik had been at least able to untie his nali from that cracking post so he could sleep more comfortably, but they had been given tough bread to eat, and only one thin blanket between the two of them. All in all, a very uncomfortable night.

Some of Link's hurt and anger had been quelled as they lay together, discussing what to do and trying to form a plan, but the younger boy was still on edge. It was even evident in the way he was sleeping, all rigid and stiff. Or perhaps that was just the hard ground. But no, it couldn't be. They had slept on hard ground together far more than a dozen times in their time knowing each other, so they were both fairly used to that sort of discomfort.

Sheik was just about to speak to Link, who he was fairly positive was awake when Bentlen, the Sheikah from yesterday, lifted up the flap and came walking inside. Sheik looked over his shoulder from on the ground, and he felt Link looking too, still wrapped up together in the blanket and Sheik's arms.

Bentlen stopped and froze as soon as he saw them, looking for all the world-or just them, actually-like he was a young child who had come across something he shouldn't have and was afraid of being reprimanded for it. He swallowed with some difficulty. "Antony asked me to fetch the two of you. He said he wishes to share words, and-."

Sheik ignored him and looked back at Link, who was blinking sleepily. "They have need of us." He murmured

Link looked at Bentlen and then back to Sheik. " Guess they decided what to do with me."

Sheik grimaced, but didn't answer as they both stood and stretched, following Bentlen out of the tent and into a silent camp. It must have been early, for there were no Sheikah to be seen. There was none of the usual activity you would think to find in a camp of this immense size. There were more than three hundred tents here, and as many as one Sheikah to an entire family living inside each one. So where we're they?

"Where are they all?" Link asked, not bothering to keep his voice down as they were led to the center of camp.

"Don't know." Sheik had been wondering the same thing. Weren't they taking a risk, using only one of their men to escort the two of them? Sheik wasn't confident he could beat Bentlen in a fight, but he did know for certain that he could give Link the chance to escape. However, Sheik knew the younger boy would refuse such a thing with just as much certainty as he had last night.

Bentlen shepherded the two of them into Antony and Hanna's tent quickly and quietly, tying the entrance shut as soon as they were inside. Sheik tried to position them so that he was standing before Link, shielding him with his body, but Link shouldered past him with a grunt of annoyance. Sheik's parents were sitting at a small table, both quietly eating a breakfast of fruit, cheese, and dried meat. Antony swallow, glancing up at Link with a raised eyebrow.

"I want to know..." Link swallowed roughly. " What you're planning on doing with my life."

"Sparing it, actually. Please, sit." He gestured to an empty chair next to him. Link hesitated, probably unsure if it was a trap or not, but then he slid into the empty chair with a sigh of appreciation, turning to glance back at Sheik.

Sheik stepped forward, feeling uneasy about the strange scene that was unfolding. He sat in the chair next to Link, across from his fa-from Antony. Hanna smiled at him, squeezing his hand, but he pulled away from her. "I was surprised you didn't just poison us last night." Sheik muttered, staring darkly at the abundance of food on the table. "It would've been the easiest solution."

"Kill my own son?" Antony raised an eyebrow at him, wearing a fake emotion on his face that did not reflect in his cold ruby eyes. "Now why would I do that?"

"Are you not ashamed of me, _galah_?" Sheik wrinkled his nose in distaste when he used the Sheikah word for 'father' to describe the man before him. "Look at me, abandoning my duties and running away to a different country to escape my life." He smiled cruelly. "Well, I guess we're alike in that aspect." He leaned back in his chair, snatching an apple of the table and biting into it.

Link was watching him with a troubled expression. "Sheik..."

Sheik turned to him, still chewing. "What?" He asked flatly.

Link looked down at his hands, folded in his lap. "Nothing..."

"We will not hurt the boy, love." Hanna pushed more food towards him. "He is safe here."

Sheik thought that to be the most ridiculous lie he had ever heard. "Then what, we're your prisoners?"

Antony spread his hands. "You are free to go. As much as you renounce me, you are my son, and I cannot bring harm to you. And Hanna believes you truly love this boy, as you say. And so to kill him would be to kill a part of you. I cannot, in good conscience, harm either of you."

"What are you doing here?" Link asked suddenly, sitting forward in his chair and looking at Antony with a strange... hunger in his dazzling blue eyes. "I mean, all of you? This isn't a permanent camp you've got here. It's been moved before, and more than once."

Antony raised one slender eyebrow-a Sheikah custom, it seemed-to look skeptically. "How would you know that?"

"Take it from someone who's done their fair share of traveling. I've seen a permanent Sheikah village. You can lie to me all you want, but this-." Link's voice quavered a bit when Antony narrowed his eyes at him. "This hasn't been here long, and it won't stay for long either, will it?."

Antony did not answer Link, but turned to Sheik instead. "You brought him to one of the desert camps?" He hissed.

Sheik shook his head, though he felt smug at his father's unease with that idea. "No, we met in my village. He happened upon us with his family. They stayed for a night. Fen brought them into camp, and Osidian-_naba_ allowed them to stay."

"They were all very kind to me." Link interjected, and Sheik smiled, proud of his nali, for that had been a stab at Antony. After all, so far in this place, Link had been treated like shit.

"So," Sheik interrupted, right as Antony had been about to speak. "Return our weapons and packs, and allow us to leave."

Antony leaned back in his chair and spread his hands. "Sheik-_lita_, stay for one more night. Fill up on your supplies and get your rest. At the very least for your mother. You may leave in the morning."

"How will I know that what you say is true?"

"Because, Sheik-_lita_, we ourselves leave before the week is out." Antony smiled a cruel smile and then glanced sidelong at his wife, his dark blonde-almost brown-hair obscuring his eyes. "Nali, show them to their tent, their belongings are there waiting for them."

Hanna looked at him with a deep meaning and then nodded, rising out of her chair and waiting for Link and Sheik to follow as she waited by the tent flaps. As they ventured back out among the camp, it finally occurred to Sheik why none of the others were outside. They were most likely inside their small homes, packing away what little bit of material possessions they owned for the hundredth time. They were all getting ready to leave.

They were led to a small tent in the southern end of camp, though it was a few layers from the outskirts. When Hanna held aside the tent flap, Sheik led Link inside, looking around at what was a small circular space with a fairly large cot that took up most of the room. There was a pan for coals sitting on the ground, and Sheik was grateful for it. Last night had been far too cold; not even Link's heat had been able to warm him.

"You two should be comfortable here." Hanna murmured, looking back out at the camp.

Sheik turned to her. "_Mani_, what's going on here?" He stepped forward and took both of her hands in his. "What is this?"

She blinked a few time, not meeting his gaze. Should he not have called her 'mother'? He only did it to get information out of her... right? "It will all be over soon, son." She whispered.

"What does that even mean?" He urged, squeezing her hands tightly.

She looked at him then, her eyes brimming over with sadness. "Tomorrow, when you leave here, you must get far away. Go south, not north."

"Why?" Sheik's heart pounded. Link had been right, something was indeed going on here.

Her wine-red eyes constricted, and Sheik could tell she was at war with herself, debating the love and loyalty she had for her husband to the love and guilt she held for Sheik. "Because... because soon it will not be safe for him there." She pointed a slender finger at Link. "And I can tell you're in love with that boy. I would not want to see any harm come to him."

"And harm will come to him?" Sheik pulled her closer, desperate for answers.

"If you go north, yes." She hissed, and then yanked herself out of Sheik's grip, her light blonde hair, lighter than Sheik's, spraying out behind her as she turned and fled.

Sheik turned in frustration to find Link sitting on the cot, his lips working together and his eyes unfocused. It was how he often looked when he was either reading or in deep, deep thought. "_Nali_." Sheik called loudly. Link jumped, looking up at him in confusion.

"They're going for Hyrule, aren't they?" Link asked, already knowing the answer. He pursed his lips in worry. "Goddesses, I think that's it. They have enough force to take on at least Castle Town, and once they have the royal family, they can... Oh goddesses!" Link jumped to his feet. "Sheik, we have to do something!" There was fear in his startled sapphire eyes. "My-my brothers are there! And... And Brock..."

Sheik had a hard time not punching the cot at the mention of that man's name. "Well... Either way, we can't leave until tomorrow. They won't let us." Not that Sheik fancied the idea of going back to Hyrule... He hoped Link would just forget; though that wasn't likely to happen.

* * *

Sheik wasn't clinging to Link as he usually did when they were falling asleep. They were touching, oh yes, that couldn't be helped with the size of the cot, but he was too caught up in his own head at the moment. These Sheikah... they were planning some sort of attack. On Link's homeland. Sheik didn't give two rupees, truth be told. But Link was rigid next to him, the fear eating him, Sheik was sure. Fear for a family that hadn't shown him any love in more than a year because the members of said family who were capable of showing love were dead.

If they were smart, they'd use this opportunity to slip even further into the country unnoticed, even go straight through Termina to somewhere else entirely, where the words 'Hylian' and 'Sheikah' wouldn't mean a thing to anybody. But Sheik knew that it would take some convincing for Link to agree to just run.

"Sheik?" Link's shaky voice floated up from the darkness.

"What, nali?" Sheik yawned, listening for an answer.

He felt Link pull at his shirt, untucking it from his pants. "Turn to me?" He asked, honey voice timid in the blackness. Sheik turned on his side, curious, and was assaulted by a barrage of warm kisses all over his face and neck as Link's body began to move against his.

* * *

Link was forced into being still when both of Sheik's hands came to hold on solidly to his shoulders. Why was the Sheikah stopping him? Hadnt he wanted this? For Link to do this? The tent was quiet except for the sound of both their heavy breathing. "What?" Link whispered, scared he'd done something wrong. He was just so desperate for Sheik to hold him. He was so scared; he needed to be near, and he needed it now.

"Link, we need to sleep." Sheik stretched his neck and gave him a quick kiss, folding their lips together before pulling away to look into Link's eyes. Link blinked before kissing him again. He moved in for another and another, just wanting Sheik.

"I can't." He breathed, sliding his arms around Sheik's neck and pulling his head closer. "Not tonight. I don't know what'll happen tomorrow, or the next day, and-and the truth of it is..." His eyes drifted away, staring down at a fold in the blanket as his arms tightened around Sheik's neck. "Sheik, with all that's been going on lately, I don't even know if I'll be alive-."

"No," Sheik kissed him to stop the talk, muffling his next words with his own lips. "No, you're not going to talk like that." Link's brow folded together as he just gazed into those wine-red eyes that he loved so much. He watched as the intent in Sheik's eyes changed from concerned to sultry, his pupils blown wide with wanting. His hand slipped under Link's shirt, rubbing in slow, tight circles.

Link wriggled closer to him, smiling against the skin of Sheik's throat when the arms around him constricted tighter, and then strong hands clutched onto Link's shirt, pulling it up and over his head. Link didn't give Sheik a chance to attack him after that, though. Oh no, Link was pulling off the older boy's shirt as well, ruffling and mussing all that soft, golden hair. They had only unclothed each other once before, about a week ago, and even then Sheik had seen that Link had been too nervous to do much... But not tonight. What they had done a week ago was enough to give Link the courage for this. To know deep within his heart that Sheik wanted and loved him just as much as he did. Sheik was everything Link had ever wanted, and Link was even more aware of that now than he was the last time. And he was desperate to have it, to have him before something went wrong in this mess of a situation.

Link wasted no time. They were in a hostile Sheikah camp, after all, and there was no telling who might hear them. His hands were going down to Sheik's trousers, unclasping them, smoothing his fingers along the planes of his love's quivering stomach and below. And oh, the skin he found there was as soft as silk. He lost track of time when the world tilted and he found himself on his back, being pressed into the mattress by Sheik's weight. By that time his pants were gone as well, and they were skin to skin again, in a way Link hadn't ever thought of because if he had, Sheik would have seen the color in his cheeks and known something was up. But Sheik's face was close to his, and his eyelashes were fluttering against his cheek, and warm puffs of breath were escaping out of Link's mouth as he tried his damnedest to keep quiet and not moan aloud.

* * *

Link's eyes were closed and he licked his lips. "Are you alright?" Sheik asked worriedly. Link didn't answer; his eyes stayed closed and he gave a tight nod of his head. "Link, I can stop if-."

"Please don't." Link interrupted him, sparkling sapphire eyes opening and glowing softly in the darkness.

"Alright, enough." Sheik took a deep breath, pulling himself away, but Link's nails dug into the tender skin of his shoulders, rooting him in place.

"Would you wait just a bloody second, Sheik?" Link hissed, trying to sound angry; though he knew Sheik could feel his body trembling. Red eyes watched him from above, hesitant but curious. "You're so worried about hurting me that there's starting to be not much point to this. Now please, just let me get use to it-."

Sheik, who's limbs were getting soar from holding himself above Link, shifted slightly, causing Link to groan quietly in pain. They were both quiet for many, many minutes while Link's body slowly relaxed on the mattress. And then he let out a breath. "Sheik, it-it's okay now."

Sheik sighed heavily, and his head hung low, low enough that he pressed a warm kiss to Link's temple, thumb brushing over his bare chest. "Nali, I-." Sheik began, but then stopped. Link thought he knew why. Nothing needed said. Link reached up with a shaking hand and brushed his fingertips across Sheik's parted lips. Then he just assumed that Sheik couldn't take it anymore, slowly at first, and then with a heated passion.

Together, they were sweet, heated, and tender. They each gave, and they each took what the other was offering. It was the most incredible moment of Link's life. He had never dreamed that being with Sheik would feel like this, all pain and pleasure balled up so tight he couldn't tell one from the other. The closeness, the fullness, the feeling that life probably couldn't get any better than Sheik...

* * *

Happiness in this world was always fleeting, and in far too short a time, Sheik and Link woke up in each other's arms, the insistent sunlight filtering in once again.

"Good morning." Sheik murmured sleepily, sitting up and looking around. Link sat up as well, hissing in pain when he got to an upright position. His hand went straight to his tailbone, low on his back.

Sheik sat up in a rush. "Link, _nali_, are you alright? What is it?"

At that moment, Hanna breezed into their tent, smiling wistfully as she beheld both of them in their cot together, as naked as the goddesses had made them.

Sheik pulled the blanket around both of them, irritated and cheeks reddening at his mother seeing him in bed with his lover, but still worried about Link, who's face was set in a strained grimace.

"Your father wishes to bid you farewell." Hanna said with her lip quirked. "Link-_lita_, are you well?"

Sheik looked at Link again, for he was quiet curious about that matter as well. "Fine." Link grunted, swinging his legs over the side of the cot and wincing as he stood with one of the blankets wrapped round his waist. He limped over to their packs and pulled out clean clothes, tossing some at Sheik. He glanced over at Hanna and then simply raised an eyebrow, a habit that Sheik had passed on to him it seemed. Hanna smiled graciously and then left to wait outside as they dressed.

Sheik pulled on the shirt, watching Link try to wrestle himself into the clothes. "Link, what are you-?"

"I'm just a little sore, all right?" Link snapped, turning as red as if the blood were swelling to the outside of his cheeks rather than the inside.

"Oh..." Sheik pulled the legs of his pants on, fastening the belt. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" He stood and walked over to Link, holding his hand to give him enough balance to step into his own pants. "I didn't mean to get carried away." He looked away. "I actually found it rather hard to control myself..."

"It didn't seem like it at the time." Link smiled at him. "You were very sweet last night. I'll be alright. I expect it's just because I'm new at this... er, particular... thing."

"Will you be able to walk okay?"

Link gave him a tight but loving smile. "Should be."

* * *

Antony was cold to them when he was saying goodbye. Sheik honestly wondered why he had wanted to see them at all. Probably to please Hanna, he guessed.

Bentlen came for them then, and once again he-alone-waited for them to ready themselves and then escorted them out of the south end of camp, not leaving them until they were a good five miles away, on the top of a hill that fell away into a grassy field. A large city was visible on the horizon.

"Right," Link said when Bentlen had gone and was out of sight. "Come on, Sheik." He took off walking-well, more of a shuffling limp, actually-towards the north.

Sheik didn't move. "Link, we can't go back."

**Well, there you have it. Looks as though there's some trouble for our protagonists, and it's closer to them than they thought. Seems some disagreements could spring up out of this mess...**

**If you like the story/chapter or have any comments, questions, or ideas, please review! I want to hear them!**

**Thanks guys!**


	18. Going Forth

**So... I spent the better part of an hour or so the other day brainstorming about where this story was going, and what came out of my head sort of surprised me, because it wasn't what I expected to be happening when I first got the idea for this story. Just know that I'll be introducing some new characters, as well as expanding on the old ones. And... well, I think this particular fic will be continuing on for longer than I had ever anticipated.**

**But enough of my blather! Go on with you! Today's chapter is over 6,000 words, so read! ^_^**

Link blinked a few times at him, honestly confused with what he'd said. "What?"

Sheik repeated himself, meaning every word of it. "We can't go back. Not there."

His bright blue eyes narrowed and darkened at the same time. "Sheik, we can't just ignore—."

"No, we have to ignore it, Link. We can't go back, alright?"

Link snorted. "Well, we are. I can't—."

"No." Sheik growled the word. They couldn't go back to Hyrule. They weren't. Call him selfish for trying to keep Link from helping his family, but those bastards didn't deserve him, not by a long shot. What good had they ever done him? And now he wanted to risk not just his own life, but Sheik's as well? Just—no.

"Excuse me?" Link asked, surprised.

"No. You're not going back to Hyrule, and neither am I. There's just too much of a risk, and I love you too much to let you throw away everything we have for the likes of—." Sheik caught himself in time before he started badmouthing Link's family right in front of him. "And besides," Sheik paused, studying his nali, whose face was raw fury. "This is a really good opportunity. We'll be able to get away now, further to the south. And there will be no one to stop us. No Sheikah, no Hylians, and none of the humans here know a bit about either of us. We can live together, like you wanted, and love—." Sheik stopped talking. Link's expression was livid, and his hands were balled into fists. He wasn't listening to Sheik anymore. Sheik had never seen him this way before. Slowly, ever so slowly, Link lifted his dark sapphire eyes to him, his jaw set in a hard line. The small boy hadn't ever looked like he was capable of anger, let alone this level of fury.

"Are you sure it's me that you loved?" He asked quietly, almost hesitantly. His soft tone didn't match the anger on his face or in his stance. Sheik just wanted to go and hug the rigidness out of his body. "Or was it the idea of someone who needed out just as much as you did that you fell in love with? Because I can't run away with you to some distant land when my homeland is about to be destroyed and ripped apart! And if you really loved me like you say, you would understand that!" Link kicked the ground in frustration as he turned in a tight circle and started pacing. "My father may have made my life a living hell, but I should still have the decency to warn him if someone is planning his murder!"

"I doubt they plan to kill the people..." Sheik murmured softly, looking off at the ground. He wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly feeling chilly, though he doubted it was from the weather. His throat was tight. Link was... He'd said... Sheik wasn't sure what it was that he was feeling.

"Then what, Sheik?" Link exploded, advancing on him. "Just kill the royal family and then fun and games for all the rest!? Yeah, you know what? Great! That sounds exactly like something a bitter Sheikah army might do! Definitely, I think you're on to something here!"

"There's no need to be cruel." Sheik muttered. He didn't know how to deal with the boy when he was acting like this. Link was always so calm and gentle and level-headed, and now he was being unreasonable. Didn't he see that this would be the perfect opportunity? The perfect distraction, for them to just slip away and never be remembered? And did Link want to take advantage of this perfect moment and escape everything they had been running from? Escape all the people who told them that what they were and felt was disgusting and wrong? No, he wanted to descend into the thick of it and warn his bastard father. Didn't the stupid boy know that once he was in Castle Town, the rebel Sheikah would treat him as they would any other Hylian? They wouldn't remember him, and if they did, it would be as a burden and a threat. Even if Sheik was with him, he couldn't protect him. Not from that many.

Link ran a hand back through his wheaten hair, gripping at the roots as his jaw worked. "Sheik, I have to. It's not just my father. Davin and Jasten are there! They're my brothers, and that means something to me, no matter what." He met Sheik's eyes again. "And what about Zelda?" Sheik crossed his arms haughtily at her mention. "You told me how much she cared for you. Enough to help you escape her own service! How can you not worry for her?"

"That part of my life is over now." He muttered darkly. "That's how."

"But Sheik..." Link whispered, eyes crinkling up in the corners as he fought away rough, angry tears. "They're all that I have left. And—."

Sheik felt like tearing out his own hair. "Then why were you so eager to abandon them before? You went away with me and you didn't look back. Not once!" But that wasn't what was weighing most heavily on his mind. "And what happened to having me; having each other? That used to be all that mattered!"

Link's watery eyes gazed at him with so much sorrow that Sheik nearly choked when he tried to swallow down the lump in his throat. "I have to do what's right. And I love you, but I can't go with you. Not until this is stopped. And if I have to do it alone, well..." Link looked away at the ground, his hands falling limply at his sides. "I guess I'll understand." He turned then, back towards the north; just looking out across the forested valley. Sheik could see his chest working to put breath into his body.

Sheik took a step towards him, but then stopped, holding himself back, because Link hadn't moved or responded. "Don't say goodbye, Link. Nalí, don't you dare."

"I don't want to. I... You've given me so much, Sheik. We've shared more and done more together than I ever thought I would with anyone, and—and I want you to take me away so badly, like we planned. But I can't leave them to suffer whatever is in store for them." He turned back, and there were tears running down his cheeks. "I have to at least warn them. She loved them too..."

Sheik knew all too well to whom Link was referring, and he had a valid point. He himself wanted nothing to do with his Sheikah relatives or tribe; just to be far from them. But what good would that be without Link? He needed that stupid, beautiful boy beside him. Wanted? Yes. But also needed, with a burning ache that Sheik couldn't understand. But... if they returned to Hyrule, it was likely the Sheikah wouldn't be far behind, and then they would more than likely die. Even if they arrived in time to warn everyone, Sheik would be recognized by the Hylian Guards and killed. "I'll be killed, Link. I will. I can't go back to Hyrule."

Link sniffed. "I know."

Sheik knew where this was headed. His brow creased and his lower lip trembled with a misery that he felt like he was drowning in. "You—you—."

Link came over to hold him, and for once, Sheik felt like the small one. He was taller than Link, but he shrunk down into the boy's arms in a way that made him feel like he was ten again. Link's arms wrapped around his waist, and Sheik hid his face against Link's neck. "I have to, Sheik... go alone." Link whispered into his hair, hand rubbing low on his back. "Got to."

"How will you ever—?" Sheik looked up into his watery eyes and saw his own tear stained face reflected in them.

"I won't make any stops, and I'll sleep on the road. That'll make me quicker. I'll go into Castle Town, warn them, and then leave and come straight back to you, I swear."

Sheik's face scrunched up as his yellow hair fell into his eyes, sticking to the tear tracks on his face. "Link, I can't let you go."

"Please?"

"You—you can't ask me to do this."

"I am. I have to." A rough, calloused, and familiar hand came up and stroked the hair on the back of Sheik's head. "You can come with me as far as Clock Town. You should stay with Kafei and Anju." He smiled sadly. "They'll watch over you for me, make sure you don't get into any trouble."

Sheik blinked. "Who will watch over you for me?"

Link kissed his brow. "Farore."

* * *

Link knew Sheik wasn't happy about the way things had become, and goddesses knew, neither was Link. He hated this, hated the idea of being away from Sheik. But as he had learned over the past year, sometimes in life there are things that you may not want to do, but you have to just buckle down and do them. They didn't talk much as they made their way back to Clock Town. The days were quiet, and the nights were silent. Link didn't know if Sheik was angry or if they were both just trying to soak up as much of each other's presence as they could. They didn't touch, apart from when they slept in their usual and familiar positions. Sheik seemed... stiff, and formal. But Link knew he couldn't blame him. It felt a little like he was abandoning Sheik, but he didn't have a choice. Link just kept on telling himself that. If there was another option; a different road to take...

No, no use thinking like that. There was nothing to be done.

* * *

"We appreciate your hospitality, more than we can ever express." Link tried to smile back at Anju, but he was finding it difficult. "Thank you, really."

"Don't worry, Link." Her smile turned sad. "He can stay here as long as he needs, and I'll keep an eye on him, as will Kafei. The worst he can get in this little town is bored, believe me."

Link thought back to the day when he had been beaten on the street, unprovoked, and he wondered if what she said was really all that true. "Yeah..." Link turned to watch Sheik, who was standing near one of the windows, silently gazing out at the town. He was already packed with what he'd need for his journey, and he was leaving with Sheik everything that wasn't a necessity. Sheik had given him some rupees, as well as one of the belt knives he had used in the city where they had run through the sewers, just in case he needed it. Link stepped over towards him.

"I should probably get going soon." He murmured, reaching out and taking the back of Sheik's hand. It was all he could think of to do.

Sheik turned around, still holding onto Link's hand so that as he turned, Link's arm was wrapped snugly around the Sheikah's waist. "I don't want this to be a sad farewell." Sheik spoke softly, fiery eyes ablaze with such emotion.

"I'll be back just as soon as I can. I promise, love." Link had never used the pet name on Sheik. He had always been worried that it would sound weird coming from him, but it didn't. It sounded right.

Sheik blinked at him, trying to smile, but all that came out was sort of a sad grimace. "You be safe. Don't talk to anyone, don't stop anywhere, and don't do anything that you know I wouldn't."

Link nodded his head. "Yes, Sheik." He said it like he would say 'Yes, Sir', or 'Yes, Master'.

Sheik's weak hold on the mask he was wearing fell, and his face crumpled up in a way that truly broke Link's heart; his head fell with a soft 'thunk' onto Link's shoulder. They both held each other, because by now, after all they had been through together—and all that they had done together—they didn't really need words. Sheik pulled Link's face up to his then for a kiss that was so strong with love and passion that Link almost—almost—just forgot about going then and there. Their mouths and lips moved together, and there were tears falling between them.

But then Link pulled away, holding Sheik for one final time before he stepped back and smiled. He wasn't even seventeen yet. He shouldn't be feeling so old; so burdened down with the heavy weight of responsibility. Link nodded to Anju; he would have said something to Kafei as well, were he there. He hoped the other Sheikah would take as kindly to Sheik's presence as his wife had. Link sort of half-smiled and gave a little shrug before he walked over to the door and stepped outside, closing it behind him.

As he looked out at the town life happening all around him, he was almost surprised. Here these people were: these humans, all oblivious to the calamities that were being planned within the borders of their very own country. He wondered if they would all be so calm and happy if they knew. Link sighed heavily and started walking.

The hardest part wasn't really being alone, for Link knew he didn't have a choice in that matter. The worst thing was trying to convince himself not to turn around every ten minutes or so, when the idea would come back into his whirling thoughts and the urge to run back would come on so strong that it hurt him to keep heading in the same direction. He was thankful to the goddesses that Hyrule was only a few leagues from the Hylian-Terminan border, because once he was past that, if he wanted to turn back, it would be a little difficult to explain to the soldiers there. That would force him to carry on.

The first night he rolled up in blankets against a tree, a dozen or so leagues inside of Hyrule. He knew he was making great time, but the trip would take a little longer, because he was on purpose avoiding Ordon, which would've been the most direct route. However, it would only take about a week to get to Castle Town on foot, since he wasn't stopping all the time in all the towns and cities like he had with Sheik.

He met a few travelers like him, just on their way to their own places. Three days into Hyrule, he stopped off in a town to resupply. He made sure it was one he'd never been to with Sheik. Link thought it unlikely that anyone in Hyrule would actually recognize him, aside from his own family, but Sheik had stressed on him that you could never be too careful in situations like these. It was about midday, and the sun was shining bright. It seemed a little odd that the world should be so cheery when there was so much wrong going on in it.

"Can I get a loaf of bread, please?" Link asked one of the cart vendors. Goddesses, he was tired. Twelve hours of hard walking a day would do that to you. He even ate on foot.

The vendor, a kindly old man, smiled at him apologetically. "Bit of a wait, I'm afraid, son. Sent my wife back to the bakery for the rest of the loaves. Had no idea I'd be selling so many today. The goddesses are indeed smiling on us."

Link's brow pulled together. Was the entire world oblivious? "Yes, sir. How long of a wait?"

The man's head listed to the side as he thought. The loose skin on his neck crinkled every time he moved his head. "I'd wager around ten minutes, son. My shop is clear on the other side of town."

Link sighed, resenting it, but complying. "I can wait."

"For me as well, please." Link looked up to see a tall young man with charcoal-black hair that curled in places looking genially at the baker.

"I have rolls, sir, if you don't fancy waiting."

The young man shook his head and lit up the stall with a bright, dazzling smile. Link noticed how tall he was. Taller than Sheik, who alone was already pretty tall. He noticed Link staring, and turned that dazzling smile on him, offering out his hand. "Lucas." He nodded benignly. Link was immediately skeptical of his outward kindness and congeniality.

Nevertheless, Link shook his hand, trying to be friendly. "Link."

Lucas raised his brows high on his head. "Yeah? What brings you to Salayia, Link?"

Link shrugged. What was the harm? "Passing through. I'm on my way up to Castle Town. I'm..." Link hesitated, looking away at the ground. "Er, meeting my family there, and then we're going back down south, to meet a... friend."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything to dispute Link's shady story. "You know, Link; this may sound odd, but I'm heading towards Castle Town as well. Hoping to find work up there. And, well, I hate to ask, seeing as how we just met, but two travel safer than one."

Link looked over at him. Sheik had said not to talk to anyone, so the blonde spitfire would definitely be against this; there was no doubt in Link's mind. He'd probably already have been dragging Link away by the arm, muttering something like 'Who needs bread anyways? Nosey Hylian…' But Link felt nothing but honesty coming forth out of this young man's hazel eyes. They seemed so familiar, somehow. Link looked away again. "I'm not much of a bodyguard." He joked feebly.

Lucas chuckled. "You could've fooled me."

Link smiled back at him. Lucas's blatant sarcasm reminded him so much of Sheik. He hoped that only good would come out of this companionship. And like Lucas had said, two certainly did travel safer than one.

Link and Lucas left Salayia within the hour. They had agreed to share provisions, which saved both of them money. It wasn't really necessary, as Sheik had given him a lot of rupees, but Link was determined to save as much as he could. After all, he hoped that they would eventually be able to settle down together somewhere, and for that they'd need money.

They made camp in a tiny copse of trees along a stream somewhere in Hyrule Field; where they sat, ate, and talked. Link rather liked Lucas. He was fun to talk to; witty and energetic.

"So where're you from?" Lucas asked from across the fire, stretching his long legs so far that they were practically in the flames. Link thought it likely the leather soles of his boots would burn.

"Um..." Link wrinkled his nose, wondering if he should lie about it. Ah, crack it! "Ordon, a little ways to the south of here."

Lucas looked at him intently, hazel eyes opening wide. He had a hint of stubble growing alone his jaw line. Link wondered exactly how old Lucas was. Early twenties, perhaps. "No kidding?" Lucas's smile stretched wide.

Link shook his head slowly, bemused.

"I'm from Ordon!" Lucas grew a little more somber. "Shame what happened to that place, and all the people. My—my family moved a few years before it happened, but I heard about it, and I went to—to go see..." Link only nodded, wary of Lucas's eyes watching him. "Did your family live in that big house with the swing?"

Link gasped, surprised. "Yes, the swing on the front porch, tied to the awning."

Lucas chuckled. "I remember you! You were just a little snipe when I left, twelve or so, I think. But I remember you when you were younger. You snuck in to that grumpy old man's shed, Bertrum, and stole his old rooster because you heard he was going to butcher it."

Link's cheeks reddened as he remembered. "I was nine when I did that. I tried to hide it in my room, but the stupid old thing made too much noise, and my—my father found him and made me take him back." Link frowned. "He wasn't very happy with me."

Lucas smiled sympathetically. "He was always pretty hard on you."

"Yeah." Link forced himself to forget that particular memory. "I think I remember you, too. You were friends with my brother. You know, he was upset for weeks after you left. He was fourteen or fifteen, I think. Which means you were...?"

"Eighteen, when I left. Twenty-two now. Which would make Davin...?"

"Nineteen." He supplied. "And I'm near on seventeen. Well, in a few months."

As Link watched, Lucas seemed to draw in on himself. He smiled to hide it, but Link could tell that something said had affected him strongly. "Yeah," He cleared his throat. "Davin. Is he up in Castle Town too?" Link nodded. Lucas's hazel eyes lit up just a little bit. "Maybe I'll look him up."

"I bet he'd like that." Link commented.

"The whole family's there, then?"

A shadow grew over Link's face. "No... Haera, and my mother... They didn't make it."

Link looked at the ground. He hated being reminded of it, and yet, at every turn it seemed like there was someone there to dredge up all of the old pain and make it new again. Lucas got to his feet and walked over to where Link was, plopping down beside him and slinging his arm over the younger boy's shoulders in a gesture of comfort. "I'm really sorry to hear that."

Link shrunk down into the arm, grateful for the support. "It's alright. I still get by. Thank you, Lucas."

"Call me Luca."

"Luca." Link tried the name out. "Do you suppose—." A strange sound made him pause, looking out into the night.

"What in the world—?" Luca breathed. Whatever it was sounded a whole lot like...

All of the sudden, out of the darkness, a chestnut mare came galloping straight towards them. Link and Luca had to throw themselves out of the way and roll to avoid being trampled by the hooves of... wait... could it be?

Link jumped to his feet, hands on his hips as he stood firmly on the ground. "Epona!" He cried, and the horse stopped in its trampling of the camp just long enough to toss her sparkling white mane and stamp her hooves. Link approached her slowly, patting her nose as soon as she stilled enough for him to touch her. "Oh goddesses! Epona!" Link wrapped his arms around her neck and held on tight, a laugh bubbling its way out of his throat.

Luca approached slowly. "What... the... Just—what in the world?"

Link beamed at him. "This is my horse! Epona! We lost her in..." He couldn't remember the name of the city. He didn't care. "I didn't think I'd ever find her again, and now she's found me!" He chuckled, taking her over and letting her drink from the stream. "Oh, this will be so much quicker now! Sheik will never believe this." Come to think of it, he wouldn't be too happy about it either... He and the horse had never really gotten alone. Link was suddenly irritated when he remembered Sheik suggesting they eat Epona. That boy had nerve...

Luca was looking at him funny. "Who?"

Link's smile faded as he realized that he'd have to cover up for his slip of the tongue. "A friend." He said simply, but then that wasn't fair, was it? Luca had known him; had known Davin in the past. Surely Link could trust him a little more. "The one I'll be going back to, in the south. He's waiting there for me to get back."

Luca approached cautiously, offering a hand out to Epona. She sniffed at it and then let him stroke her mane. Link was surprised. Epona usually hated everybody. "You know, earlier in the market you said that you were planning on bringing your family down south with you. Will this... friend of yours be alright with that?"

Link figured the truth couldn't hurt. They both settled down again around the fire after he had tethered Epona to a nearby tree. "I don't think he'll like it one bit." He answered honestly.

Luca snorted. "Some friend."

Link scratched the back of his neck, unsure of how to word this. "No, it isn't like that."

"Yeah," Luca chuckled, almost knowingly. It made Link shift uncomfortably under his eyes. "Not like that at all, I'm sure."

* * *

This was the fourth full day Sheik had spent at the Stock Pot Inn without Link by his side, the fifth if he counted the day Link had left. It all just felt wrong.

He knew Link had to be hurrying as fast as he could—he'd promised to, after all—but each day still felt like a hundred. How was he to even know if Link was still alive? Wasn't a relationship supposed to grow stronger after the two involved had made love? Sheik wasn't sure; he had been a virgin until that night, but it felt like the opposite; it felt like he and Link were falling apart.

He rarely left the Inn, and if he did, it was to run errands for Anju. She sent him to all kinds of places, where he'd meet people who seemed kind and interesting enough, but he couldn't bring himself to want anything to do with them. Sheik knew he was brooding, as well as swimming in a dangerously deep pool of self-pity, but he found it hard to even find the willingness to get himself out of it. Link hadn't wanted to stay with him. He'd wanted to go and save his unforgiving family. And Sheik couldn't understand that. The only family he'd ever felt like he had wasn't actually his family at all. He had no blood ties that he cared enough about to claim.

But he'd made quite a few ties with Link in quite a few different ways, and he didn't intend to let the boy go, even if Sheik had to hold him down and kiss him until he agreed to let Sheik love him forever. He didn't think it would come to that, but still, he wasn't averse to the idea.

"Sheik! Can you make a small trip for me?" Anju's voice came from down the stairs. He suspected her of finding random odd jobs that didn't really need doing just to get him out and about. "Need you to run way of the Post Office!"

Sheik stalked down the stairs wordlessly and snatched the letter out of her hand without a second glance. Kafei was sitting at the counter as well, fiddling with an old door knob mechanism. "Could use your help when you get back, Sheik."

"Fine." He complied, setting out and shutting the door with a firm hand.

Well, at the very least Kafei is being civil to me. Sheik thought to himself as he made his way over to west Clock Town, where the post office was. Kafei had been alright to Link the last time they were here, as soon as he knew the young boy wasn't a threat, but the entire time he had been cold to Sheik. Things were better now, in that sense anyways. It was about midday, and the town was bustling. He came to western Clock Town from the bottom of the Market Stair, and so he had to climb it, fending off crazy nutters who wanted to sell him everything from cabbage to canvas, for painting. Sheik was pretty sure he looked nothing like an artist, so he wondered what that was all about.

So focused Sheik was on simply reaching the post office and then returning to the Inn, that he didn't see the man in front of him stop walking, and so of course, Sheik trampled right into him.

"Goddesses," Sheik hissed, picking himself up from off the ground, where the force of his impact had thrown him. He wanted to be angry, but he knew it was his fault. He offered a hand to the man, looking at him expectantly. "Sorry." He mumbled awkwardly.

"It's alright, lad." The man looked up at him. He was in his late twenties, with hair that wasn't entirely one color. Mostly brown, with some blonde and even tones of copper within. He brushed himself off, sighing as the crowd parted around them. And then, as all people did at one time or another, he caught sight of Sheik's eyes. "My word!" He breathed. He sounded like a much older man when he talked.

Sheik blinked, annoyed. "Right, well, places to go, yeah?" He stalked around the man, but his arm was caught at the last second, and he was pulled off to the side. Sheik prepared himself for a fight. There was no doubt in his mind that he could kick the tar out of this sniveling human... If need be, of course.

"I never thought I'd meet another one, but here you are, by all!" The man pulled Sheik in close, very close, their noses were almost touching. The man was peering directly into his eyes with an eerie concentration. "Magnificent!"

Sheik's first reaction was to pull away, but then he smelled something familiar and welcome. Peppermint, on the man's breath; and it sent him straight to thinking about Link, and the first night they had come together and admitted their love for one another. Link's breath had smelled and tasted like peppermint. Sheik's heart gave a pang.

"Hey!" The man had started to shake him back and forth. "Hey, you!"

"Get off!" Sheik shoved the man away angrily. The man giggled then, and it was so cracking odd to hear a man of that age giggle in that wizened old voice. "Who in the name of the goddesses are you?" Sheik ran a hand back through his hair, smoothing it out of his eyes.

The man beamed at him and then shuffled his feet together, standing up to his full height, which Sheik had to admit, was very, very tall. "Sir Duncan, Earl of Algeia."

Sheik raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe I've ever actually heard of such a place."

He looked honestly offended. "Haven't you? Well I thought everyone would have heard by now. Of course, that's not until later, I suppose, so it isn't anything unusual that you don't know. We'll be a small country, south of Termina. I am—pardon—will be Earl. An emissary for Her Majesty."

"You've got to be kidding." Sheik muttered under his breath. "Did you just come from the tavern? Or..."

"I should say not! 'Tis the devil's nectar, young sir!"

"I've found a good use for it on more than one occasion." Sheik argued, half to himself. If not for the 'devil's nectar', as the Earl here put it, Link would never have allowed him to...

Duncan softened a bit. "Well, I should say so, young sir! 'Tis a part of your heritage as a noble Sheikah! The desert tribes are known to have their children partake of the table wine at meals, just as their parents!"

"How do you know so much about me?" Sheik demanded. The others in the market passing by were giving the pair of them funny looks.

Duncan wrinkled his nose at him. "My dear boy, I know nothing of you! Why, I've just met you!"

Sheik let his head fall against his hand with a slap in exasperation. "No, I mean—."

"I say, are you going you to the Stock Pot Inn?"

Sheik let his eyes fall on Duncan as he put a hand to his forehead, clipping his bangs back with his fingers. "I beg your pardon?"

"For what, my dear boy?" Sheik just stared at him, not knowing whether to be angry or amused. "Shall we go there together then?"

Was this really happening? "I..." Sheik sighed, pushing off from the wall he had been leaning on. "You know what? Fine. But I have to go to the post office first."

"Right, right. Lead on!"

It was odd being followed by the eccentric man, but it certainly did split the crowd. When they returned to the inn, Kafei was waiting for him. The purple-haired Sheikah beamed when he saw Sheik walk in with Duncan behind him. "Earl!" He laughed, smiling from his stool. "Haven't seen you around lately."

"Been away on business, Master Kafei."

"Usual room is being occupied, I'm afraid." Kafei glanced swiftly at Sheik. "I'll put you in the larger."

"All's fair in open rooms and variable occupancy." He smiled as Kafei went upstairs to prepare his room. Sheik made to follow after his fellow Sheikah, to ask him about the lunatic, but Duncan followed after him; he pulled Sheik back to the counter, staring at him with a lost look in his eye.

Sheik shrank away from him, uncomfortable with the proximity. "What—?"

"You need to be prepared." Duncan's bright green eyes had grown dark, almost sultry.

"F—for what?" Sheik asked, swallowing roughly.

"Well, your love will return to you..." He looked away, at the opposite wall. "But not alone. No, far from it."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sheik stepped away, eyes narrowing and muscles tensed.

"It means what it means." He gruffed, crossing his arms. "I just... saw you in the marketplace and thought you ought to know."

"Wh—What? Who are you, and how do you know about Link?" Sheik demanded, backing up until he found a wall behind him. His muscles coiled, tensed and ready. His previous idea of kicking the man senseless came back to him.

"Ah, his name is Link, is it? That's a nice name. A solid name." Duncan chuckled under his breath. "Link... You aren't going to be very nice to him about it either. You'll be quite angry. You should try to understand why he felt—."

"What are you two talking about?" Kafei asked, coming down the stairs. He looked at Sheik as he reached the bottom step. "Earl? Your room is ready. You can head on up." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder, back up at the stairs.

"Ah, thank you." Duncan nodded to them both before clomping on up the stairs,

Kafei looked at Sheik again. He must have seen the troubled look on his face, for he came over and patted Sheik's shoulder kindly. "What'd he say to you, Sheik-líta?"

Sheik looked up from the ground to study Kafei's face. He brushed the hair out of his eyes, but looked away again. What Duncan said had unnerved him. "Nothing... Just drunk ramblings."

Kafei shook his head, purple hair falling into his eyes. "No, he doesn't drink. Not ever. The Earl is sort of an infamous character around here. He claims to be from some little country underneath Termina that doesn't exist, but he insists it does in the future."

Sheik's brow pulled together in confusion. "And you're sure he's not just a drunk?"

Kafei laughed softly, jumping up and sitting on the counter, patting the spot beside him. Sheik followed suit, sitting beside him. "No, he travels mostly, I think. Comes by here every few months. Claims he can see the future sometimes, and... well, sometimes he can."

"That's impossible." Sheik scoffed, but still, how could he have known about Link? And what had he meant?

"Think about what he said." Kafei advised, sliding off the counter. "When I first came to Termina, he recognized me for what I am, and told me that my wife was at the mayor's office, and I had better hurry, or I'd miss her. Well, I was curious, so I went to the mayor's office like he said, and it was there that I met Anju."

Sheik blinked. "He told me Link wouldn't be alone when he returned."

Kafei shrugged. "Well, then I guess you better be expecting company. I just hope we'll have enough rooms to house you all for however long. It'd have been nice if the Earl had of specified how much company Link would be having."

**I guess I was feeling a little goofy with this chapter, because I admit, I didn't want to be too depressing while Link and Sheik were on their own. But I'm very happy with where this is going! And super excited that Luca has finally joined the cast!**

**I really like to hear what you guys are thinking! Drop me a review with thoughts/ideas/comments/questions! Thanks guys!**


	19. Passing Time

**Wow, I've created a new standard for myself! Goodbye to the days of chapters that are only 2-3,000 words, and forget about the teeny little pilot chapter lol. The last few have been pretty long, and in the writing process I don't even really notice, so yay! That's good for every one involved. I really hope you guys like this one! ^_^**

Luca turned out to be just the sort of companion that Link needed. He always had something smart or interesting to say, and was usually in a fairly sunny mood. He also liked to tease and goad, which was a wonderful distraction. And Link needed all the distraction he could get. He had been away from Sheik for almost a week now. Luca did a good job of helping dredge Link out of his own doldrums. It wasn't like Link was moping... He wasn't. He was keeping quiet is all, letting his thoughts flow through him. It wasn't often that he was left alone long enough for him to get any real thinking done. And not thinking about others... He did that constantly; almost to a maddening extent.

Link couldn't tell if Luca was the thoughtful sort or not. Sometimes they talked, and sometimes they just walked together, in companionship. _Sort of like Sheik and me_. Link thought, and a deep yearning for his Sheikah came on so strong that his mind ran weak, and Luca's next question caught him off guard.

"So your friend is waiting for you in... Clock Town, is it? That's a quaint little name, Clock Town..." Epona, who Link was walking beside them to give her a break from their combined weight, snorted at his words; as if she _knew_ Luca was somehow indirectly _and_ unknowingly talking about Sheik. Her arch nemesis of late...

"Yup." Foggy mind or not, Link didn't want to say much to anybody on the subject. He trusted Luca and all, but there were so many out there who would think of what Link and Sheik had together as... Well, thoughts like that weren't worth acknowledging. Link couldn't see Luca reacting in that way at all; he really was a nice guy, but he was still on edge about telling him anything just yet. He was on edge about a lot lately. Teetering.

He had left his family, and that may or may not have been wrong. Link understood that they wouldn't be very keen on him when he returned and begged them to leave Hyrule with him. Especially Brock. He didn't want to break up his family any more than he already had, and that included when he tore himself away from them. He left Hyrule for Sheik, and Brock and Jasten would probably never understand that. Davin had understood, but when it came down to it, Link was unsure where his loyalties lied. They all wanted him to be something he just wasn't.

They didn't even take into account that Link didn't have a choice in the matter. Well, not true. He supposed there technically _was_ a choice that theoretically _could_ be made, but making a choice to force his body and mind to try and find girls... attractive was not something he would ever consider doing, even for the sake of his family loving him again. He wouldn't do that to Sheik. No... Link loved him with all his heart. He was worth anything. The way his scarlet eyes flashed when he was being playful, sultry, or even protective; his rustling voice, like fallen leaves, and his wheaten hair. How soft it felt between Link's fingers...

"Oy, you alright there, Link?"

Link looked up from his feet to find Luca staring at him with a furrowed brow. "What'd you say? Sorry." Scarlet flooded his cheeks.

Luca smirked, but let it go; a curtesy rare for him. "I said: he must be a good friend of yours to wait all this time for you. Probably bored out of his mind, holed up in that shoe box of a town."

Link blinked, feeling tired. "Best friend, actually. And yeah he probably is. I'm really grateful to him."

"Then why didn't he just come with you?" Luca pressed. Link glanced over at him. His curly brown hair was mussed from where he kept running it through his fingers. It was a habit of Luca's, Link had noticed, to do that. Luca must have noticed Link's stare, because those hazel eyes met his. Link looked away, back at the ground.

Goddesses, he wasn't good enough of a liar to be doing this. "He's... um, there are some... people who he doesn't want to be seen by here. In Hyrule."

Luca raised an eyebrow high over his almond eyes. "Which people?"

"Well... soldiers."

"Really, an outlaw?" Luca snorted, looking back out across the field. There were a few troubling pillars of wood smoke rising over the crest of the next hill. Judging by the sheer size of Hyrule Field, they would reach whatever camp the smoke was coming from late tomorrow morning. It was most likely only a large band of travelers, perhaps just a really big family, but all the same, it was better to be cautious. Luca broke Link's train of thought with a soft chuckle. "You don't strike me as the type who runs with criminals, Link."

Link crossed his arms haughtily as they walked. "Well, I do."

"Little boy Link's become a badass." Luca chuckled to himself. "Well goddesses, I feel a little sheepish in comparison. I've done jack shit all my life, and that's the truth."

Link wasn't sure if this conversation had turned into a joke or not. "You _should_ be feeling that way. He's one of Hyrule's most wanted."

Link could feel Luca's eyes slide over to look at him. "That so? In that case, is he the Sheikah that escaped from the castle, or that thief who stole a bunch of old relics from the Temple of Time?"

"Really? Someone did that?" Link wondered at that. "Well, it couldn't have been a Hylian, whoever it was. To steal from a temple so renown by the Hylian people; so infamous in its role in the shaping of Hyrule." Link struggled for the right—proper—words. "No Hylian in their right mind would do that, don't you think?" Crack what anybody else had to say; Sheik was nothing but a good influence on Link. Even his _speech patterns_ were getting more intelligent.

Luca snorted. "Yeah, okay... You know Link, I've come to learn that when you do that, you're trying to change the subject because you've let something slip."

"Do what?"

"Ah, there it is, you did it again. You—." Luca reached over, tickling right under Link's left arm with lithe fingers. "—Change the subject."

"I haven't let anything slip! I don't have anything to let slip!" Link insisted, dancing away from him as he fought down bubbling laughter.

"Oh please, you tell me some poorly fabricated lie or half-truth every other time you open your mouth." Luca snorted. "If you don't want to tell me, just keep your mouth shut."

Luca hadn't meant that to be hurtful, but it stung Link anyways. "I... I guess it's because I didn't—don't—don't know if I can... trust you." Link winced as he said the words.

Link heard Luca sigh. "Alright. I'm Lucas, though I prefer Luca. I'm twenty-two. I grew up in Ordon Village, in the southern Ordonna province. Until about three weeks ago, I hadn't been in Hyrule for about three years. The reason I left my old residence in Dathendril for Hyrule again is because the person I thought I loved didn't love me back, and they showed me that by sleeping with someone else. I was heading for Castle Town to look for work and start a new life. I knew you when you were little. Your hair was lighter back then. I'd always thought that you would grow taller, but I guess—."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Link interrupted, holding Epona's reins tighter when she reared her head away from Link's raised voice. "Why in the world are you telling me all this?"

Luca looked at him, an annoyed expression worn lazily on his face. "You said you're having trouble trusting me, so I'm telling you about me so you can put your little mind at ease. So let me finish." Luca started up again, not allowing another word to come from Link's mouth. "You only remember me as being great friends with your older brother, Davin. Well, yeah. Davin and I were best friends. He wasn't the only one hurt when I left Ordon... About me in general: I like to—."

"Alright, alright, Luca." Link laughed. "You can stop. I trust you." He brushed the hair out of his eyes. Would Sheik approve? Probably not.

"So answer the question: Sheikah, or thief?"

Link took a deep breathe; exhaling as he said the one word that always sparked tension among the people in this country. "Sheikah."

"Hmm, like I thought." Luca sniffed.

"Oh yeah?" Link challenged.

"Yup." Luca affirmed.

"Well, fine, now you know. I'm consorting with a sand devil, how do you like it?" Link's cerulean eyes flashed over to him for the smallest instant. Okay, so maybe he was a bit worried about how the guy would react.

Luca laughed out loud. "I like it just fine." He slung an arm around Link's shoulders, squeezing him. "You're a funny kid."

Link laughed back. "Sheik would like you, I think. You're difficult, just like him."

Luca rolled his eyes playfully. "Oh great, now I'm being compared to a difficult sixteen-year-old outlaw."

Link narrowed his eyes at him. "Sheik is seventeen."

"Well, well, I beg his pardon."

* * *

"You know, that's starting to look like trouble." Luca spoke from behind Link, saddled as they were on Epona.

Link thought he was right. There were approaching the top of the hill that the smoke had appeared behind yesterday. Being early morning, the cook fires were burning bright, and the smoke was still going strong. Link wondered at where they were getting all the wood to burn when they were on the road like this.

A wave of déjà vu rolled over him. There had been another hill, albeit much larger than this one, that he had climbed. And that hill had hidden smoke behind it as well, and finding out the source of the smoke hadn't done Sheik or him any good. It had reunited Sheik with his parents, but it was pretty clear that Sheik hadn't wanted that reunion.

Coming to the apex of this climb, the trend in smoky hilltops proved correct. What Link saw didn't make sense. Camped in the dip below them, tents already packed away for the day's travel, was a large contingent of Hylian soldiers. There had to be at least five hundred men and women down there, if not more. But... why? Hyrule wasn't at war. Ever since the barbarians were driven out nearly a year ago, Hyrule had been peaceful. So why?

"What the heck?" Luca murmured near Link's ear.

They had been spotted. A small band of soldiers had broken off from the camp, and they were approaching them at a swift pace on foot. Link supposed they were about to find out exactly what this was all about.

"Travelers!" The soldier at the front of the group called out to them, hand resting steadily on the hilt of her sword.

"Hello," Luca called from behind Link. "Can we help you guys?"

What was he doing? Link slapped Luca's leg in reprimand as discreetly as he could. The soldier raised her eyebrow high on her forehead, but she definitely called his bluff. "Yes. Reason for traveling?"

Link answered her before Luca could open his smart mouth and get them into any more trouble. "We're heading north to Castle Town."

The woman flicked her gaze upwards, her sharp eyes cutting into him, looking deep for any lie he may be hiding, no doubt. Without looking away, she said: "For what purpose?"

Link swallowed, trying not to show weakness. "Family."

"What's with the organized guard?" Luca demanded, and the scary woman's eyes slid over to him. Link watched as her gloved hand wrapped tighter around the hilt of her army-issued sword.

"There's been a disturbance." She answered simply, turning and nodding to one of the men behind her. "Check them."

Two of the soldiers stepped around the women, approaching them. "Step off the horse, please." One of them said.

Link sighed and swung his leg over, dropping to the ground. For a moment, it looked as if Luca wasn't going to comply, but when he looked at Link and received the harshest glare Link had ever dished out—even towards Sheik—he slid off and landed beside him.

The two soldiers split off and started frisking the two of them, none too gentle, either. Link glanced over his shoulder at Luca as the man searching him squatted down to check the legs of his trousers. Luca was staring at the woman with a fierce glare. Link swallowed nervously and turned forward again.

When the man searching over him put his hands over Link's hips to check his pockets, a wicked grin spread over the man's face. He stood to his feet, flipping in his hands the Sheikah knife Sheik had given him in the Stock Pot Inn just before he'd left. Link had to fight down the urge to grab it back as the soldier flipped it in his hand before handing it to the woman.

She took the fine blade in her hand, inspecting the tiny symbol on the handle. Without looking up, she twirled the blade in her fingers. "Check his eyes."

Link was grabbed forcefully by the collar of his jacket and thrown against Epona. The man who had shoved him thrust his hand in Link's face, grabbing his jaw in a strong grasp as his dark, stubbled face loomed close, peering into Link's frightened eyes. His fingers gripped painfully at Link's skin.

"Blue." The man finally backed away, looking disappointed, and leaving Link to hold himself as he tried not to feel helpless.

"And the other one?"

The man who had searched Luca made to grab him as well, but Luca stepped back quickly, scowling at the man with such fury that the soldier seemed to shrink back. "You may _look_." Luca growled menacingly.

The man looked unhappy about it, but when he did approach slowly and peer at Luca's face, all he did was mutter, "Hazel." And step back.

The woman stepped between the men, and Link was forced to lean back against Epona's warm body just to keep away from her. What was wrong with these soldiers? "Where did you get this?" She demanded, flipping the small blade again.

"It was a g-gift." Link breathed, craning his neck away from the cold gaze of the soldier.

"Ooh!" She breathed, as if she was delighted at the news, though her gaze remained flat and cold. "Who would be kind enough to give you such a shiny, nifty little knife?"

Goddesses, why was this happening _now_? Link was _such_ a horrible liar, and this woman was so... invasive. Link got a bad feeling from her, even if she was a Hylian.

"I gave it to him." Luca stepped forwards, glaring hate and death at the woman. "I stole it off a Sheikah rat who was working as a servant in a noble's house back in the Faronna province." Luca raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Wanna arrest me for it?" Goddesses, Luca could act.

The woman frowned at him, but did not back off of Link. She turned her gaze back on the younger boy, leering at him seductively. "You're a pretty one, aren't you?"

"Oh, for the sake of the goddesses, let him be. He's only a boy." Luca growled.

"I suppose you two aren't any trouble." She sighed, jerking her head for the two men to fall back in rank as she stepped away from Link. "Be on your way."

Link started after her, but was yanked back as Luca caught his shoulder. "What sort of disturbance?" Link shouted as they were walking away. "Hey!"

"Link, just come on." Luca said, climbing back onto Epona. "They're not worth it. Let's just keep going."

"But..." Link took a last glance at the group of soldiers as they made their way back to their camp. Once he was in the saddle, he spurred Epona on, and she took off a trot.

* * *

It was almost an hour of uncomfortable riding before Luca took a deep breath and broke the silence. "That soldier was hot on you." He felt Link go stiff against him.

"Was not." The boy cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"She really was, though. You could've—."

"No. Thank. You." Link muttered loudly, enunciating each word with extra force. Luca smirked, tightening his hold on Link's waist until the boy grunted with discomfort. "Cut it out." Link snapped.

Luca laughed. "She was pretty enough, wasn't she? Why not?"

"I can't... do stuff like that with someone if I don't love the person. And I certainly couldn't ever love _her_ like that."

"Why not?" Luca pressed, snickering.

"Goddesses, you don't give up, do you?" Link practically snarled the words. What in the world was going on with this boy?

"Am I pressing the wrong buttons?" Luca asked. "Come on, I'm just making conversation."

"Why can't you talk about the stuff you usually do?" Link whined. "Like... you know... intelligent things."

"Too much of that can get old." Luca explained. "I'm just keeping things interesting."

"I liked it better the other way."

"Why?"

"Is that the only word you know?" Link's shoulders seemed to sag as he formulated an answer. "I guess it sort of reminds me of Sheik. He always talks in a way that make him sound like a genius or something."

Just how much of a hold did that Sheikah have on this boy? "I believe that's called being pretentious... But I'll let it slide, if it's a happy memory for you."

Link chuckled. "Lots of happy memories there."

"Uh-huh." Luca pursed his lips, smiling. Link was an awful liar. Everything he felt or thought was clearly made evident on his face, and even with the boy turned around, it was pretty easy to read his body language. They had been traveling together for about three days, and Luca had it pretty much figured out by now. "Yeah, so have you slept with him yet?"

To his surprise, Link showed little to no signs of embarrassment. "None of your business." The boy snapped in a low voice. "And it really isn't, so stop asking about him, would you?"

Luca frowned, taken aback. "Woah, woah, where did this come from?"

He heard Link sigh. "I—sorry. I don't really mean that. I think those soldiers that put me on edge. It's not your fault." Link turned in the saddle and smiled softly at Luca. "I trust you."

* * *

Sheik looked at his own hand of cards before glancing down at the discard pile to see what Duncan had played on his turn. "Duncan, you can't play that." He and the Earl were sitting criss-cross on the floor of Duncan's room, facing each other.

The Earl peered very closely at his own hand of cards. "That move was completely legal!" His thick, caterpillar eyebrows wrinkled on his forehead.

Sheik sighed, leaning forward and picking the card up off the floor from where Duncan had laid it, revealing the one beneath it. "No, see, I played a spear. You either need to play another spear, or a card of a different suit that has the same number, which would be a two."

Duncan squinted at the card I handed back to him, sighing and shaking his head as he put it back in with the others. "The rules of this game escape me."

"It's not even that difficult." Sheik grumped, raising an eyebrow skeptically as the Earl's eyes peeked over his hand of cards.

"Yes, but you see, I don't possess a playable card."

"Well then you have to draw from there until you pick up one you can play." Sheik pointed to the draw pile. "And remember that the number eight is a wild card. You can change the suit to whatever if you have one of those."

"Typical for you to withhold such vital information from me." Duncan smirked as he slapped an eight of hearts down onto the pile. "Take that, Sheikah!"

Sheik rolled his eyes. "What suit?"

"Well, I prefer traveling clothes, myself. Of course, I am one known to travel. You don't seem like the suit type of guy either, though, so I figure that I'm in appropriate company."

What in the—? "What?" Sheik shook his head, so very bewildered. "No, I mean what suit do you want to change it to? You played an eight; it's your choice."

"Oh!" Duncan laughed. "We'll, my dear boy, why didn't you say so?"

Sheik shook his head, mouth open. "Are you kidding me?"

A small smile lifted the corners of the Earl's mouth. "Well, yes I am, a bit."

"Earl!" Sheik complained, putting a palm to his forehead in exasperation.

"Relax, Sheik, you're going to win." Duncan's mouth twisted up into a sly grin as he looked at Sheik. "Ah, I see. You will win unless... I change the suit to... clubs."

Sheik sighed as he drew from the pile, looking for a playable card. On the eight draw he found a seven of clubs. Damn that Earl...

"Tell me about your childhood." Duncan said, playing his own card the _right_ way this time.

"Well..." Sheik thought about the Earl's request. Link had been gone for almost two weeks, and Sheik's routine at the Stock Pot Inn had stayed roughly the same, apart from the unfortunate fact that now he had an Earl with the annoying gift of foresight to deal with. Duncan had actually insisted on spending time with Sheik, claiming that he wanted to study a real Sheikah in their daily life. Sheik had told him that how things were now was a far cry from his daily life, but the daft Earl hadn't listened. Sheik just knew that somehow Anju was behind the whole thing. She had become very fond of Sheik during his time at the Inn, and she had garnered a reputation for being... meddlesome. "You must know I grew up in the desert."

Duncan's brow furrowed. "Why must I know that?"

Sheik laughed without humor. "Well, let's see. I was born, and then my mother left after my father who had gone before her. I was raised by a man named Fen, and his wife Betali. Both of them were friends of my parents. As a boy, I trained, slept, hunted, ate, and trained again. And that's it. Anything else you'd care to know?"

Duncan smiled at him with kind eyes. "When did your charming blonde beau come into the picture? Was that during the training part, or...?"

"You know far too much about Link for someone who's never met him." Sheik frowned.

Duncan folded his hands complacently. "I mean the boy no harm. Actually, it's pretty clear to me that _I'll_ be more cordial to him when he arrives than you will."

Sheik's eyes narrowed into deep slits. "Why do you keep saying that?"

"Saying what, my boy?"

"You keep implying that when Link returns, I'm going to be really awful to him or something!" Sheik slammed his hand of cards down on the ground.

"What in the name of the goddesses am I supposed to think about that? I certainly can't just let it go!"

"Mmm, well I can see how you would be worried. But with luck, all will work out." Duncan stared at him with bright, knowing eyes.

"What, is he going to waltz in here with another man on his arm?"

The Earl's lips quirked.

Sheik's eyes widened in horror. "A woman?"

Duncan guffawed at that. "I wouldn't say that. In fact, I wouldn't say anything about it."

"Yeah, I'm coming to know that that's _just_ like you." Sheik hissed coolly. "He's _my_ boyfriend, and yet you refuse to tell me anything about him."

"But Sheik, I don't _know_ anything about him! I've never met the lad!" The Earl cocked his head, his expression turning sad. "I _see_. That is what I do. I see, but I don't always know for sure. But what I do see is that you hold him in very high esteem. You'd do anything for him."

Sheik rolled his eyes, resting his chin on palm, feeling grumpy and short-tempered. "Some might even call it love." Stupid, _smart-assed_ Earl. He didn't know the first thing about what Sheik felt for Link.

"Yeah, I'd call it that." Duncan affirmed, smiling wistfully.

Sheik pursed his lips, his stomach rolling over as a thought came into his head. "Can—can you see him now?"

Duncan blinked. "No." He looked away, back at his cards, even though it was pretty evident that they were no longer playing. "It doesn't work like that. Sometimes... I just see people, and I know I have to tell them something."

"Then how do you know about the country you claim you'll be Earl of someday? What was it? Algeia."

"I met my Queen." Duncan answered simply. "I saw her Majesty in one of the Southern provinces of Hyrule. Not extraordinarily far from the border, actually. I met her not long ago, perhaps a little more than a year, and when I saw her, I knew that one day she would be Queen of Algeia, and I would be made Earl."

"Same goes for Kafei?" Sheik asked, brushing the hair from his eyes. "You just... saw him and knew to tell him about Anju?"

Duncan nodded. "I would love to tell you about Link, but I just can't."

Sheik's eyes hit the floor as his hope at hearing some good news were dashed. He had bet his entire life on Link and their love together. _Nothing_ could go wrong between them. Sheik just supposed he was needlessly worrying himself because he had nothing else to do, but it still nagged at him.

Duncan seemed to sense this. "But there's no reason _you_ can't tell me about him. He sounds like a remarkable boy."

"Yeah." Sheik smiled to himself. He'd like to have been able to say that at that moment he was thinking of Link's smile or his cute tendency to shove his nose in a book whenever he could, but he wasn't. No, his thoughts were dead set on the night they had shared at the rebel Sheikah camp. Sheik was holding on to the memory of that night with all that he had. The feel of Link's naked skin against his own, the pressure, the smell of clean sweat, Link's heat, and how it felt to be all the way insidehim.

"I do say, lad, your cheeks have gone bright red!" When Sheik looked up, Duncan was three inches away from his face, peering closely into his eyes.

"I..." Sheik shut his mouth, afraid of what might come out.

Duncan smirked. "I take it you two boys have had some... pleasurable experiences together?" Sheik's hazy eyes slid up to meet the Earl's. "Yes, you seem to be recalling them right at this very minute... While you're in my company, too! Now, Sheik my boy, I can't say I blame you, but that is indeed very rude. While with company, your mind should never wander to things that you cannot share."

Sheik's cheeks flooded an even deeper shade of scarlet—if that were even possible—as he hung his head. "_That_—." He murmured. "I most certainly am _not_ going to tell you about." Sheik stood shakily to his feet, pulling the hem of his shirt down around him. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'd like to be alone for a while." Duncan's laughter followed him all the way back into his room, where Sheik locked the door, fell onto the bed, and squeezed his eyes shut. _That's it, just... Deep breaths, good._ _He'll not be gone for that much longer._ But... Sheik felt the hole in his chest. And on top of all his wanting, he hated how pathetic he had become. Sitting around in a tiny little inn, in a tiny little town, pining for a boy that had left him. Well, not left, but...

It took a knock on the door to break Sheik out of his chaotic, spiraling thoughts; and to make him realize that his hand was already halfway down his pants. He groaned aloud, not moving an inch as he called: "What?"

"Don't mean to interrupt, but I've got some news."

Sheik closed his eyes, pulling his hand back up and playing with the bed sheets instead. "Good news?"

He could hear Kafei's sigh, even through the closed door. "You... better let me in."

"So unlock it. I know you have a key."

The tumbler in the lock turned, and then the purple-haired Sheikah was walking into Sheik's dusky little room. "Why do you have purple hair?" Sheik had always wondered that. Most Sheikah were born some variant of blonde. There were occasionally some brunettes, and the scale tipped both ways, so there was even occasionally a white or silver-haired born. But purple?

Kafei's face pulled into a grimace. "That... was a disguise attempt gone wrong. Ask Anju if you want, but not now. This is important."

"What?" Call it intuition, or maybe a bit of Duncan had rubbed off on him, but Sheik suddenly had a very uneasy feeling growing in the out of his stomach. "It's not Link, is it? What?!"

* * *

The fire was near to burning out, and even though it was cold without it, Link was too sleepy to bother with getting up and building it up again. Judging from the even breathing coming from right next to him, so was Luca.

Link had just closed his eyes with the resolve to not open them again until morning when Luca spoke. "So... this past year." The sentence hung in the air like a dead weight between the two of them.

"Yeah?" Link asked reluctantly.

"It must have been hard. I can only imagine."

"Mmm... Yeah." Link whispered back, letting his eyes droop. Luca and him were huddled together under their blankets; close together so as to conserve heat. But not too close; Link made sure of that.

"I... How did Davin take the whole thing?" Luca's voice came softly from somewhere near in the blackness.

Link sighed, hating to remember. There was always something... someone there to dredge those repressed memories back to the surface. "He... they... We all took it in our own way. Speaking of it when we were on the road or in camp was sort of like a taboo. Davin and Jasten didn't really show any pain or sadness, though I know for certain they both felt it. There was always someone crying at night, once we stoked the fire. If not me, someone else. Usually more than one."

"Really?" It was quiet for a few minutes, and Link had very nearly fell into a dreary but light sleep when Luca kept spoke again. "Seems to me something like that should bring a family closer together."

"Well... for the longest time my father wouldn't speak to any of us. He started talking to Davin and Jasten before me, though."

"Why?"

"That's a really long story."

"Probably not one you've ever got to tell, though." Luca urged.

Link considered it. He didn't like to dwell on it, but Luca wanted to know, and it couldn't hurt. "I'm the only one who has my mother's yellow hair. Everyone else got the brown. I remind him too much of her, and he hates me for it. I make him remember like my brother's don't."

"But... he was... harder on you when we were all kids, too. I remember. You got the shortest leash, right at the end of his shortest rope." Luca cleared his throat. "So to speak. He always did seem to have a short rope."

"That's part of the long story." Link turned his face into the blankets, burying his nose in the soft and warm as he closed his eyes. "I guess it started when my mom had Jasten... her third baby. The healer in Ordon delivered him. It was a difficult birth, as I've heard the story told. Afterwards he told her that her insides were torn up from delivery. The baby had torn something on its way out, and if she were to have any more children, the birthing would kill her. He said her body wouldn't be able to take it."

"I don't get it." Luca murmured. "She had you, didn't she? And how come I never knew about all this? I mean, I lived there too."

"They kept the whole thing a secret. The whole village was thrilled because a new baby had been born, and Brock didn't want anybody to know. And then... it took a couple years, but he got her pregnant again. They were trying not to. Haera, Davin, and Jasten; they were all straight shots, all a year apart from each other. That's why I'm so blatantly the youngest. I know two years isn't all that much for siblings, but it feels like it is, especially when you know you took longer because you weren't wanted."

"Oh, she wanted you. And she lived. The birth didn't kill her." Luca stated.

"I know. When they found out about me, Brock begged her to go to the healer, and get me taken or scraped out of her or whatever before it was too late. I guess it was still early in the pregnancy then. But she refused him, no matter how much he pleaded with her. She told him that when the time came for her to give birth, if the healer saved the baby, that was enough for her. Brock was furious."

"When the time came, the healer improvised and cut her stomach open and got me out that way. And... she lived. I'm not quite sure how. I was handed off to a midwife, I guess, and then the healer went about saving her. She was in bed for months; couldn't even work up the strength to hold me in her arms for a few weeks. I had a wet nurse for a while... Brock... my father... I hadn't killed her, the woman he loved, but I had come near enough; and I weakened her to a state that was like death in a lot of ways. Over the years, he just-he never really forgave me for it, even if it was his fault I was conceived. It's not like I _asked_ to be born."

"If it had of come to it, she would have chosen saving me over saving herself and staying with him. I don't know what it is, or even why, but it made him hate me. Oh, he tried to love me, mostly for her, but I think I make him sick. And after she died, it just dredged up all that old hate. I think he also blames me for her dying. He found me with her; he knew I was there when it happened, and he knew I had hid like a coward and done nothing to help her. It doesn't exactly help that I look just like her, either, I suppose."

"Goddesses," Luca breathed. "I had no idea. I'm so sorry, Link."

"It's alright." Link swallowed roughly, rolling onto his back to peek up out at the stars. "I doubt my father has ever loved me, but I know Jasten and Davin do, to some extent. Before I left, Davin made a point of telling me so. He ganged up with Jasten against me a lot out on the road, so I was really surprised of how... understanding he was of the reason I was leaving."

"Oh?" Luca's voice cracked, and he cleared his throat in an attempt to cover that fact. Link smiled.

"He knew that I was going away so I could fall in love with a Sheikah boy. He knew that I wanted to love Sheik even before I did. And despite the way our father raised us, he told me that he loved me and wanted me to be happy, and then he said look out, because the world wouldn't understand."

"Yeah," Luca murmured, Link listening closely as he breathed. The man's voice had gone all warm and fluid. "Yeah, that sounds just like him."

**Ah, poor little Link... Gosh, I'm the one writing this and making it happen, and it's _still_ making me sad. Why do I do this to myself? Lol**

**Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and story follows, guys! I really appreciate it! When I don't know what the heck you guys are thinking it drives me crazy, so tell me anything! Thanks again, forever, and always! 3**


	20. Family Reunions, Sad Ends, and Knee Caps

**I am thrilled to be bringing you Chapter 20 of The Sheikah! At twenty chapters and nearly to fifty story followers, I felt it appropriate to thank you guys by writing an extra-long chapter as kind of a story special! It's just over 10,000 words! Quite a doozy ;). I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Here's to you guys, my readers, who make this story way more fun to write ;). Enjoy, all you lovelies!**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

Luca felt strange and awkward, traveling through the streets of a big city like this with no one else but a little boy... _Ah, wait, no. He's not little anymore_. Luca had to keep reminding himself that.

Luca was from smaller, more humble upbringings than this; he hadn't really stepped into any city this large in his life, except for with Ayden: that deceitful, cheating slut of a man. But... he was doing the right thing, wasn't he? Running into Link in that crowded marketplace a little more than a week ago had been like a gift from the goddesses. And why? Heavens knew he'd asked himself that question countless times, but after he had discovered all that Ayden had hid from him, for some twisted reason, he had almost immediately thought of Davin. How warped was that? Granted, through all the years, he had thought of Davin often. Especially those times that he had been on his own.

They'd had everything they could have wanted when they were kids. They had only made love to each other a handful of times, but they'd had plenty of secret make-out sessions hidden in the back of his family's barn amongst the bales of hay. They'd been friends ever since Luca could remember, even when they were little kids. It wasn't until the day of Davin's thirteenth birthday that they had first kissed, against some trees in the back of Davin's yard during the birthday party. Luca had been sixteen when that happened, butterflies in his stomach, and they'd secretly been together for two years until Luca's family moved away when he turned eighteen.

And when he had gone, he felt he had been ripped apart from someone he knew he loved. Luca had been with other men-never women, forgive him the wants of his mind and body-but...they'd only really ever wanted him for a night or two; only wanted him for his looks, for his smiles and curling brown hair. His body, and what he could do for them. Luca knew that he was attractive in the traditional sense of the word; and he knew that many others noticed. But to be honest, it was more of a burden than a blessing. Ayden had been the first who'd kept him around for longer than a week. They were together for nearly a year; Luca had honestly thought that he might have been the one. And look how that turned out.

Luca knew full well that he had no right to expect anything from Davin. It was very likely that he already had a life, and Luca's return would be nothing but awkward. He was a sensible man, although if anyone were ever to look inside his head, they'd see how little of a man and how much of a ridiculous, never-stop-to-think boy he really was. But that wasn't quite fair. Luca _did_ think, and no one; _no one_ had ever been as sweet to him as Davin. They were best friends. They used to sit and talk for hours. Oh, they'd done other things, rest assured, but the difference was that Davin had always wanted to hear what was in Lucas's mind. He _cared_.

But they had just been kids. Luca hoped he wasn't deluding himself into chasing old fantasies.

Link had gone on ahead, breaking through the crowd. Luca had no idea where the boy was going, but he did seem to have some sort of sense of direction about him, so Luca followed and didn't ask questions. He _had_ lived here for a time. There were in a rather... rural area of the city, that was for certain. There was a stable on the left side of the road, attached to the side of a large, run-down apartment building. Link squinted up at the building through the sun, putting a hand to his forehead to shade his eyes. "That's it." He turned around, facing Luca, who had come to stand right behind the boy. "If they haven't moved, that's it."

Luca swallowed roughly, butterflies in his stomach all over again. Always. "Guess we should go in and see."

Link shifted his footing uncomfortably. "I don't think they're going to be happy to see me."

Luca smiled to himself, placing an arm around Link's slender shoulders. "Kid, you'll never know until you try." He stepped around Link, walking across the crowded street to the front door of the shabby little apartment building. Goddesses, this area of Castle Town was like the slums...

It was pretty clear that Link wasn't going to make the first steps, so Luca continued forward. When he reached the porch, he stopped and turned to wait for him. Maybe he could take the first steps for him, but he sure as hell couldn't do it _all_ on his own. For goodness sake, they were _Link's_ family. What he saw was strange, though. Link was frozen in the middle of the street, staring down the way a bit at an older boy with light brown hair. There was a girl on his arm with long, raven-black tresses.

Link got this determined look in his eyes, and he started forward towards the young man in the road, weaving between the crowds like a snake through the reeds. A very timid snake. "Oh goddesses..." Luca whispered, rubbing his eyes tiredly with his hand. That boy was Jasten; he knew it. He just hoped everything would turn out okay. He wasn't going to intervene, that was for sure. No, let Link figure it all out so he didn't have to get involved, and-.

"Luca?" Came a soft, quiet voice from behind him. He heard footsteps on the wooden porch.

"Oh, um..." Luca turned around, coming face to face with... Davin. He was dressed in brown trousers and a faded blue button-down shirt that had a tear in the left shoulder. His hair was dark, falling just above his dusky green eyes. For the first time in a very long time, Luca didn't know what to say. "Hey."

Davin's nose wrinkled as he laughed quietly. He'd done that same thing when they were younger. Luca's heart swelled faster than he could fight to keep it in check. "Hey yourself." Davin looked up at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I tagged along." Luca answered, turning to look out at the middle of the street where Link had stopped Jasten and they were talking quietly. It looked like things were going okay.

Luca felt Davin grow closer to him as he stepped up to the edge of the porch to look out on the street with him. "Goddesses," He breathed, eyes narrowing as he squinted past the sun. "Is that Link!?" He jumped off the steps, running into the street where he launched himself at his youngest brother, nearly knocking the boy off his feet as his arms wrapped snugly around him. It seemed Link had been wrong. They _were _happy to see him. Luca smiled; it was good to know that. The four of them were coming back to the porch, Link in the middle of his excited brothers and the raven-haired girl looking confused beyond belief, but still content under Jasten's arm.

Davin locked eyes with him as they all came back onto the porch, but Luca didn't look long at him; his eyes shifted to Link, and he smiled again. "I told you that you didn't have to worry."

Link's nose wrinkled up as he laughed. Was that a family trait? "When did you ever tell me that?"

Luca rolled his eyes. "I said it all the time. You could have listened rather than mooning over your She—." The startled look Link gave him told him that that particular thing was something the boy didn't want said just yet. "Well," Luca cleared his throat, feeling just as he'd predicted: awkward. "I guess I should be going. I have to find somewhere to stay the night... I hear this city gets pretty rough at night."

"No," Link said immediately as he and Davin both stepped forward at the same time to stop him.

"No," Davin stepped closer, looking up into his eyes with a troubled expression. "Stay the night here, it's alright. There's space for you."

"Please," Link added, looking a fair bit troubled himself.

Davin gestured to the pretty girl who was wrapped around Jasten. "Rosalyn, this is Lucas, we all knew him when we were kids." Davin introduced them, forcing a smile.

"It's great to meet you, Lucas." She gave him a lopsided smile, completely throwing off her delicate facade with an interesting accent. "I'm Jasten's fiancé." She squeezed the boy's waist with a grin.

Luca smiled back. "Call me Luca."

Link gaped at his older brother. "You're engaged?"

Jasten laughed, leading them all inside. "Like you have any right to be surprised, running off like you did."

"I had my reasons." Link muttered, following him inside. Luca was about to follow them as well when a hand on his arm pulled him back. He looked behind him. Davin had grabbed his sleeve, restraining him while looking at the ground.

He looked up, making Luca smile. In all these years, the boy hadn't managed to grow taller than him. Good, he liked that. "Look—can we talk? Later?" He whispered, almost turning Luca's stomach to mush with how uncertain he seemed.

Luca smiled faintly. "Talk? Sure, we can talk."

Davin sighed in relief. "Good. So much just happened. I—I can't believe you're here. I can't believe _Link's_ here."

"Well, Link brought me, so you can thank him." Luca looked towards the door. "We better head in. "Is your—is your father in there?"

Davin pursed his lips, his eyes narrowing. "No—thankfully. I don't want him scaring Link away. But we'll deal with him when he comes." He looked back up at Luca. "It's weird seeing you here."

Luca looked away uncomfortably, shuffling his feet. "I suppose you can guess that Link isn't really here to stay?"

Davin raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"I should let him explain everything to you. Come on, let's go."

Davin looked like he wanted to say more, but Luca had promised to talk later, so he led him into the dimly lit lobby without complaint, climbing up the back stairs and coming to a hallway where he opened the first door on the left, right around the corner from the stairs.

Everyone else was already sitting around the kitchen table. Davin pulled an extra chair from the wall for himself, letting Luca have the one between Link and Jasten. They were across from each other now, and he was discovering that it was very difficult indeed to find a place to rest his eyes that wasn't on Davin.

"So," Davin cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away from Luca. "Link, what made you come back?"

"Well, I can't stay long." He murmured, and Luca pulled a face that said 'I told you so', forcing Davin to hide a grin behind his hand. "I... guess I came to warn you guys."

"Warn us?" Jasten laughed, holding onto Rosalyn's hand. Davin looked up in interest, and even Luca paid closer attention. Warn them? Link hadn't mentioned anything like that to him.

Link looked uncomfortable at being the center of attention. "Yeah. Well, you see... Sheik and I-we were traveling south, into Termina." Jasten's eyes hardened when Link spoke of his Sheikah. Davin remained passive. "There was... goddesses, I don't even know how to explain this. We came across this camp of... rebel Sheikah. All of them were escapees from Hyrule. Well, most were, I think. Anyways, there were _hundreds_ of them. We-uh-we got taken captive by them, and found out that they're planning something awful."

"What?" Luca leaned forward. They all looked at him. _What_? He echoed in his head.

"They're going to take on Hyrule!" Link bit his lip. "And they plan on coming to Castle Town first, to get the Royal Family. Sheik figures that they want them to keep the rest of us passive and under their control. They could kill you guys! You have to leave with me, please!"

"Wait a second here!" Jasten slammed his hand down on the table. "You say they took you two captive?" Link nodded. "What do you mean? They wouldn't take one of their own—."

"Sheik is _nothing_ like them!" Link hissed, looking for all the world like a cornered animal. "They didn't trust him because he had _me_ with him!"

"This all seems really far-fetched." Jasten muttered.

Link looked helpless. "_Why_ in the name of Nayru would I lie about something like this? If all was well in the world, why would I even come back and risk however dad will react?" Both of his brothers seemed to flinch at that.

"Where is he?" Davin asked, breaking the silence that had formed after Link's outburst. "Where is—." He swallowed. "Sheik?"

Link grimaced. "I had to leave him in Termina. He couldn't risk traveling through Hyrule again. The soldier's would have killed him."

"And you're going back to him?" Davin asked, locking eyes with his brother.

"Yes."

"Then I'm going with you." Davin affirmed. Jasten gaped at him from across the table. "What?" Davin demanded. "He has no reason to be making any of this up, and if he left Sheik all the way back in Termina just to trek up here and warn us, then he obviously cares!"

Jasten held his hands up angrily. "He _left_ us!"

"Yeah, can you blame him?" Davin snapped, not looking at anybody, though he was clearly fuming. "Things were getting worse and worse for him here, and you and I did nothing to help him! Can you blame him for running to somewhere where he could find love? Nobody here was giving him any, so _you_ can't blame him!" Davin cast a flinty gaze upon Jasten, who visibly flinched. "Now, I'm going and you should to. Link's never done anything wrong to us our entire life, and dad can't say that much about _all_ of us, no matter how much he'd like to." Davin looked pointedly at Link as he said that.

Jasten was taken aback, that was for sure. "Davin, I—I can't leave Rosalyn." He looked at his fiancé, Luca looking as well. He could see it there. Jasten really cared about the girl; whether it was love was debatable, but it would grow, he was sure of that.

Rosalyn smiled at him, pulling back her curtain of dark hair. "I go where you go, Jass."

He kissed her brow. "What about your parents?"

"I'd be moving in with you when we married, anyways." She shrugged sadly. "They will understand."

Jasten looked at Link. "I—I guess I owe it to you to believe you. I'll come."

"Thank you so much." Link was trying not to cry. "I just want you guys to be safe."

"Boys, who do you have over?" Came a voice from the hallway, loud and booming, and faintly familiar to Luca. Link's face had gone deathly pale as the front door swung open and his father stepped into the room, shrugging off his coat and hanging it on a hook on the wall before turning around to face them all.

"Hi, dad." Link murmured softly, looking up at the man from under his lashes.

Brock stepped back, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. "You—Link."

Link smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah. Hey." He shrank back into his chair as Brock came around the table in a rush. But he wasn't violent; he picked the boy up out of his chair and crushed him in a hug. "Oh, goddesses, dad." Link wheezed, his face going red from lack of oxygen.

Brock laughed shakily, setting his youngest child back down on his own two feet. Brock scratched the back of his head nervously, his eyes roaming all over Link. "I prayed you'd come back. That you'd see the error of your ways and come home."

"Dad," Davin stood up as well. "There's something you need to know."

They sat Brock down on the couch and told him what Link had told all of them only a moment ago. Luca watched Brock's knuckles turn white as he gripped the arm of the couch in a death-like vice. "What a travesty!" His brow came together as he looked at all of his sons in turn, ending on Link.

"Dad..." Link murmured, keeping his distance as he sat at the table, across the room. "I'm not lying."

"I don't doubt it." Brock cleared his throat, looking away, right at Luca. "And who are you?"

Luca swallowed. "I... I lived Ordon—." Brock bared his teeth at that word. "—When your family did. I was Davin's friend."

Brock nodded, looking away. "I remember you. You used to be a skinny wisp of a thing. What are you doing here?"

"I came here with Link."

Brock laughed without humor, glaring at his youngest son. "The Sheikah cur wasn't good enough for you, eh? Had to move onto this one?"

Link jumped to his feet, all anger and fury. Davin looked like he wanted to jump between them and stop the whole thing, but he stayed rooted to where he was. "Don't you _ever_ talk about him like that!" Link seethed, stalking forward. "He is the love of my life, and I won't stand aside while you sit there and talk shit about him for no other reason than his race!"

"Pfft," Brock snorted. "That and he turned my son into a fagg—."

"_Don't_!" Link's voice pierced the air as he turned and kicked over a chair.

Luca risked a glance over at Davin, and he was surprised to find him staring right back. He was biting his lip, and he looked terribly conflicted. Goddesses, Luca wanted to be holding him, and—.

"I can't stay in here." Link hissed, marching towards the door.

Brock jumped to his feet. "You will not leave this house!"

"Try and stop me!"

Brock surged forward, hands balling into fists. Davin threw himself after Link, grabbing his brother and pulling him aside and into his body, away from Brock. "Dad, stop!" Davin yelled, his voice screaming authority. "You're not solving anything like that, so just sit down, alright?" Link's head fell onto his chest.

Luca was surprised enough by all the family drama unfolding all around him, but he was even more shocked when Jasten stepped forward, leaving Rosalyn sitting at the table looking for all the world like she'd rather be anywhere but caught up there. "Dad... You need to listen to what Link is saying. He's right. He's worried about us and he cares enough to leave... er... everything back in Termina and come here to find us." Luca snorted. Good for Jasten for speaking up, but he was basically regurgitating all of the words that Davin had told him. _Way to think for yourself, kid._

"The Sheikah's there too? In Termina?" Brock growled.

"Yes, _Sheik _is there." Link spat back from Davin's arms. If only the boy was this feisty growing up, he could have saved himself a lot of hard ache. Or possibly just inflicted more.

Brock didn't look back at him. Instead, he looked over at Jasten. "And you and your brother, you're adamant about going with him?" Jasten nodded, and Brock cursed. "Then I have no choice. I won't let my boys be taken away from me. I'm coming."

Link looked up. "You will? I mean, you are?"

Brock didn't answer him. He got up without a word and lumbered down the hallway, shutting himself into one of the rooms.

Link sat back at the table, crossing his arms indignantly. "Why the goddesses ever let him be a father, I'll never know."

* * *

"Link, do you want your old room back?" Davin asked, sipping from his steaming mug as they all sat around the candlelit table. Rosalyn had gone home for the night, along with Jasten so they could tell her parents together that they were leaving. They would all be packing tomorrow.

"No, no reason to move yourself." Link said glumly, staring off into space. "Jasten's not using his room. I'll sleep there." He looked over. "What about you, Luca?"

Luca shrugged, looking at the wall opposite him. "Wherever you guys want to put me, I guess. You were nice enough to let me stay here." He drank some of his own tea. Goddesses, awkward had been a safe assumption.

"'Kay, goodnight then, I guess." Link got to his feet, shambling down the hall and closing his own door, leaving Luca and Davin alone.

"Where am I sleeping?" Luca glanced sidelong at Davin. He was chewing on his bottom lip again, and for the briefest moment, Luca imagined himself working a similar ministration on him; but he snuffed that thought out pretty quickly.

"I didn't think I'd ever get to see you again." Davin said, gliding his finger around the rim of his cup. "I was really surprised when you showed up on the front porch. For a minute there, I almost thought I'd lost it."

"Well, like I said, Link brought me here." He said back. "I was already planning on coming to Castle Town before I ran into him, but he convinced me to travel with him. Well—." Luca laughed quietly. "I think I convinced him."

"I take it he didn't tell you any more about all this than he told us?"

"He didn't tell me anything, nutty kid. The only thing I can say is that he's crazy about that boy down in Termina."

"Yeah." Davin smiled softly. "I'm happy for him, he deserves it."

The tension was eating Luca alive. Goddesses, all he wanted was to get in that last empty room down the hall and lay Davin down and kiss him all over, but—but what if—? "So, how have thing been for you?"

Davin shrugged. "Not too bad. It's sort of monotonous here. I work out in that little stable attached to the building, and every day's pretty much just the same as the last one."

"You meet anyone?" Heavens, he felt stupid and horribly obvious for asking, but he had to know.

"I did, a girl. She really liked to watch me chase after her. Turns out she wasn't worth my time." He shrugged. "Funny thing is I don't really care all that much that it's over. How about you?"

Luca spit out bitter laughter. "You don't want to hear about that."

Davin cocked his head. "No, I sort of do."

"Mmm, well... there was Benjamin, Rylan, Simon—." Luca stopped talking. Davin's face had already gone deathly pale, and Luca hadn't even reached the end of his list yet. "But none of them really mattered, and _none_ of them cared about me, you can be sure of that."

"Did you care about them?" He asked roughly, drinking more tea to hide his discomfort.

"I certainly thought I did, at the time. But none of them kept me around for very long." Davin looked a little relieved at that, so much so that Luca didn't want to say what he was about to, but he knew he should. He had to. Davin had to know all of him if they were ever going to be right again. "But Ayden was different. I was with him for almost a year. He said he loved me, and I really thought he would be that person that I loved for the rest of my life, but..."

"What made you leave him?" The look of being nearly sick was back, though Davin tried to hide it.

"I came back to our home one day after work, and I found him sleeping naked in a bed with someone else."

"What a ja—." Davin bit his tongue, looking away so quickly that his hair fell down into his eyes. He probably thought Luca still felt something for the guy and didn't want to offend him.

"I don't give two shits about him, you know. He hurt me, and the best thing I can do for myself now is to stop thinking about him."

"Yeah, I guess so." Davin spoke uncomfortably.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"I... I just wanted to talk to you. It's been so long."

Dare he say it? Dare he broach that subject? It felt a little like Davin had already made the breach. "I missed you, Davin." He looked straight into his eyes, swallowing. Davin's lips were parted slightly, and he was staring back, looking so lost. "I really missed you." How many times would he have to repeat that declaration to get that boy to react to it? He reached up and played with one of his curls, feeling incredibly self-conscious. "I—."

"Me too." Davin finally said. "Please forgive me; I'm sort of in shock."

"I understand. A lot happened today."

He snorted. "You can say that again."

"You've grown up."

He looked up. "Goddesses, Luca, it's not like I'm an old man. _You're_ the old man of _us_."

Luca rolled his eyes. "Oh man, ouch. I knew I was getting on in years, but—."

Davin giggled. "I missed this. Being silly. Everybody in my life is so serious now, it gets so exhausting. Even I've become downbeat."

"You? Never. You were always the one knocking on my window in the middle of the night, convinced no one would wake up, even if you were _banging _on it loud enough to wake the dead."

"You liked it when I came over at night." Davin sniffed, smiling warmly. "Just as much as I did."

"I did like it." Luca smirked. "My room smelled a sight better than your barn."

"At least we didn't have to worry about waking anybody up in _my_ barn."

"As I recall, _you_ were the loud one, not me."

"Well what do you expect?" Said Davin, his voice raising as he got further into their talk and forgot more about where they were and who was in the house. "_You_ were always the one on t—."

A loud snore erupted from down the hall. Davin rolled his eyes. "I guess the dining room isn't the best place to be having this conversation." He looked over at Luca as he stood. "Come on, you can sleep in my room."

Luca raised an eyebrow to that, but he followed, more than willing. When they were both inside, Davin shut the door, turning in the cramped little room to sit on the bed. He looked at Luca, who was just standing there. "Come and sit." There was some silence as Davin took of his shoes before he spoke again. "So is that why you came here? To see me?"

"That certainly did make me want to come." Luca cocked his head, leaning back onto his elbows on the bed. Davin turned and looked at him. "After all, I've never met another person like you." Luca dared to reach up with his hand and run it through that dark brown hair.

Davin turned away. "I don't know."

Luca sat up, scooting towards Davin until their thighs were touching. He reached out and took Davin's hand off his lap, holding it in both of his. "Can I ask you something?"

Davin turned his head towards him, but did not look up, and said nothing.

"Is it me that you don't know about? Or is it everyone else?" Davin closed his eyes. "Because if it's everyone else, then I'm sorry, but that's a really shitty reason."

"We were kids." He whispered, still staring at the blankets between them.

Luca snorted. "You're _still_ a kid."

"You're only three years older than me, Luca. I can see you saying that to Link or _maybe_ even Jasten, but not me. Not after all we've done."

"Look at me." Davin raised his head and they looked at each other, their faces only inches apart. "You're leaving."

Davin shrugged. "Yeah?"

"Were you sad when I left Ordon?"

"Of course I was." He looked away.

"And you're not involved with anyone else?"

"I told you I wasn't."

"Then what?"

"I—I don't know _what_ I want..."

Luca placed both of his hands on Davin's shoulders, gently pushing him back onto the mattress. Davin stared at him as he did it, worry evident in his eyes. Slowly and quietly, Luca climbed over him, sitting there and watching him from above.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

Luca sighed, rubbing his eyes with shaking, nervous hands. "I get that it's been forever, and we've both changed, but I—I want to be with you again." He peeked out at Davin, whose face was the epitome of conflicted.

"Y—you—."

"I love you." Luca leaned down, bringing them closer together. Davin didn't respond. "Please say you love me back." He swallowed. "Please."

"Luca..."

Luca put a hand on either side of Davin's head, lowering himself to bring them even closer together. He rested his forehead on Davin's, staring deep into his eyes. The boy wrinkled his nose at it, trying not to smile.

"There you are." Luca tilted his head. "Maybe you don't know what you want out of your life yet, Davin." He smiled down at him, his brown curls tickling over the boy's forehead. "But I have no doubts about what I want with mine, and if I have to follow you across the country for you to realize that you're just as in love with me as I am with you, then that's just fine. I'll gladly do it."

His eyes widened. "You're going to come with us?"

Luca smirked. "'Course I am."

Davin bit his lip again, and all the blood rushed out of it. It seemed that that was a habit he had picked up, because he just kept doing it, almost like he was taunting Luca with the inadvertent action. He might have still looked a bit uncertain, but some of his expression had faded into determinedness, maybe some desire. He lifted his head off the mattress slightly, hesitating briefly as his eyes searched Luca's.

Luca met him halfway, folding their lips together as Davin's mouth parted in shock. This was unlike anything else. It was familiar; it felt safe and right, but there was so much there that was new to him. He knew there were quirks and aspects Davin had picked up that weren't there before, but were now a big part of him; and he would get to know them as their time together lengthened. He would grow to love them as much as he loved what was still there from his memories. Yeah, that part of Davin that he loved and remembered was still there. Luca breathed in deeply, pressing Davin tighter against the mattress as he let his weight down on top of him. Davin let out a quiet moan into Luca's mouth, clutching at his shirt as their lips swirled together. Goddesses, he wanted...

Luca finally broke away, bubbly laughter spilling out of his throat. "We should probably stop before I get carried away. If I start, I can't—."

"Can't stop." Davin finished for him, grinning up at him with a knowing look on his face. "Maybe you haven't changed as much as I'd thought."

Luca snorted, sliding off of him and laying on his side. "I don't recall _you_ ever being any different."

Davin rolled over to face him, curling himself into Luca's chest. Luca smiled, wrapping an arm snugly around him. "Not my fault." He muttered. "I was young and impressionable." Luca snorted at that. They were both silent for several minutes, just lying there with each other. "What are we going to do? I mean, do we keep this a secret, or—?"

Luca moved his chin from where it had been resting on the top of Davin's head. "I hate secrets."

"After what you've been through I can understand why."

"So you understand that I'm not going to hide this?"

"It's not like I want to hide it, Luca. I just don't want any confrontation over it. Though I guess that can't be avoided. I mean, after Link turned out to... like boys, I know it'd just kill dad to find out that I do too. Or— I like _you_, anyways. I can't say much about any other men."

"Did he know about that girl you dated?" Davin nodded against his chest. "Great." Luca cursed. "He's going to think I corrupted you or something."

Davin sighed heavily, sinking further against Luca. "You know what? Let him think what he wants. He doesn't really deserve any of my worry anyways. You knew how he was with Link, right?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Well, he's been blubbering about him leaving every night in his room since he left. I don't know how he thinks he's entitled to feeling that way, but—."

"It doesn't matter." Luca cut in. "You know, he can pity himself all he wants. It's how he's lived most of his life, there's no way he's going to kick the habit now. Link told me a lot about him growing up when we were out on the road together. As far as I'm concerned, when Link was born, your father should have been happy that his wife survived and that he had a new son. But instead he chose to feed his misguided jealousy. He held all of that... all of that _nothing_ against that poor boy all his life, so if he wants to get mean about us, then I say let him, because he certainly doesn't deserve any consolation. You don't need to be concerned for his bigotry, Davin. You don't need to feed it."

"I know. I've thought a lot of that myself, but it's easy to think those things, but through it all, he _is_ my father."

"That man doesn't deserve to even _be_ a father. Just look at what he's let happen to his family. What he's _done_ to his family. Davin, he doesn't deserve any of you."

"Taking him with us to Termina is what's right, and it's what he wants so we're going to do it." Luca snorted quietly. "I'm not giving him his way but it _is_ what's right. I hope we can agree on that."

"Hmm, yeah."

"Are you tired?"

"Exhausted."

"Let's sleep, then."

"Goodnight."

"Night."

"I love you."

"Me too, Luca."

* * *

Sheik was lying on his bed, feeling utterly miserable. So: based on recent events, miserable was just about normal for him.

Two days ago, Kafei had told him that large amounts of Hylian soldiers had been spotted inside Termina's northern border. Sheik could definitely guess why they had come. Termina wasn't hostile towards any of its neighboring countries. It was what was inside the country that no doubt had the Hylians feeling threatened. The only thing Sheik couldn't work out was how in the name of the goddesses they had found out about the Sheikah camp and their plans in the first place. Perhaps they had known all along, and only now did they consider the situation out of hand. That's what it was to them, Sheik was sure of it: a disturbance. A nuisance that needed snuffed out. An annoying pest, buzzing in the regal ear of the _noble_ Hylians. Goddesses, he was becoming way too cynical.

Sheik rolled over onto his stomach, wishing he'd never let Link go without him. Forget them recognizing him in Hyrule; Hyrule was coming for _him_, or at least his countrymen. Maybe he had renounced them all, most of all his parents, but... Well, perhaps now he truly understood where Link had been coming from two weeks ago. He may not like them, but he couldn't let them die; and from the numbers Kafei had described, it was likely they would. Especially if they had no knowledge of the attack, which Sheik suspected they didn't.

And there was no doubt in his mind that the cities would be searched, especially near the border, and any day now. He would be flushed out. His only prayer was that Link would return to him before that happened and they could run south to somewhere safe for the both of them.

And he was angry. Link had gone to warn his family for nothing, because the _disturbance_ was _contained_. The world was going to shit, and goddesses, he wanted a way out.

There was a loud, intentionally disturbing knock on the door. "I'm going to disturb you." The Earl called, marching in, slamming the door, and plunking down next to Sheik on the bed with a loud huff.

"Care to share what's the matter?" Sheik asked, though he wasn't really prepared to listen.

Duncan turned to him, his hand up as if he were trying to calm a wild animal. "Take off your pants."

Sheik glanced up at him, fiery eyes ablaze. The red usually intimidated people, and Sheik was very glad for it now. "I beg your pardon?"

"Pants, off with them!" Duncan still looked like a skittish animal trainer. "And don't even think about beating me up! I've got goons on the stairs ready to take you down!"

"I'm sure." Sheik drawled. "But my pants are staying on, thank you. Why would you ask something like that?"

The Earl crossed his arms and hunched his shoulders like a grumpy child that had been denied something. "I recently heard a rumor that all Sheikah have perfectly flat knee caps, and I'll admit that I was curious."

"See, now if you had told me that first thing, I might have considered rolling up a leg for you, but now I'm just angry." Sheik turned towards the wall, pretending to ignore him. Never mind if the earl had been a great help in keeping him sane.

Duncan tucked his legs up under him. "But you were angry before I arrived. And yes, I did mean that statement to be ambiguous."

"I was—. You make me think too much." Sheik complained, looking at the Earl sitting in the same spot Link had when he was begging Sheik to let him go somewhere after he had been beaten in the street. Sheik closed his eyes and looked away.

"It's a sight better than the monotony you experience when I'm not in the room." Duncan shot back. "Let's go somewhere."

"It's not really safe for me to go outside anymore." Sheik rolled over, staring at the ceiling. "Didn't Kafei tell you?"

"He didn't need to." Duncan stretched out on the bed next to him, his feet going next to Sheik's head and vice versa.

Neither of them spoke. Sheik figured Duncan wanted him to open up to him. Well fine. "I'm afraid." Sheik spoke more to the ceiling than to the Earl. "I'm afraid right now, and the only person in the world I have to fall back on isn't here."

Duncan peered over his feet at Sheik, studying him before looking back up at the ceiling. "You won't be killed by the soldiers."

Sheik swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Well, that's a relief. Funny how I don't feel any better."

"Then that means that you're not worried about yourself."

"It's been two and a half weeks."

"Aye."

"I didn't think it would take this long, Duncan. I just want him back; especially now that I know that giving him up was for naught."

"Maybe instead of going somewhere we could stay in? Would you like that any better? Sheik, I understand that you're unhappy and it's quite likely that nothing I say will cheer you up, but I'd certainly like to try."

"You manage to distract me well enough."

"Well, as your friend, it is the least I can do."

Sheik wrenched his neck so he could look down at Duncan. "Is that what we are? You come in here, demand for me to take off my pants and then call me your friend?"

Duncan let out a throaty laugh, for once sounding his own age, which Sheik knew wasn't entirely that much older than him. "A real friend would let me have a good look at his patellas, now wouldn't he? A real friend would take off his pants when I burst into his room uninvited and demand it of him."

"Why this sudden obsession with my knee caps, Duncan?"

"Well, to tell you the honest truth, I made a bet with a fellow gentleman while I was out today, and I need a clay cast of your knee to score myself some financial security."

"How much exactly did you bet?"

"That's my business, sand devil, now either drop 'em, or roll up that cuff and show me that sun-toned knee. I'll go get the clay!" Duncan rolled onto his feet and shot out of Sheik's room without another word.

Sheik would have laughed if he wasn't so down. Link would have been rolling over, giggling in fits and starts at the silly man, but Sheik could barely bring himself to smile.

* * *

Link opened up his eyes and immediately shot out of the unfamiliar bed, looking around in a daze, disoriented and wondering where he was, where Sheik was, and who had done what with him. But then he remembered. Castle Town. With his family. And not Sheik. Far away from Sheik, actually.

Link looked around glumly, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he opened the door and slumped out to the kitchen. Davin and Luca were already sitting there at the table, heads bent together, Luca whispering into Davin's ear, and Davin's smile growing bigger and bigger with each of Link's footsteps.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Link grumbled, throwing himself down into a chair, not really caring if he was anyways. Luca and Davin split apart like two charging deer that had bonked heads. They both had the doe-eyed, caught-in-the-act look down pretty good as well.

"Good morning." Davin muttered out of the side of his mug of tea. "It's a little early. I didn't think you'd be up yet."

Link looked at his brother and then at Luca. Then the two of them looked at each other, and Link sighed. "I'm kind of surprised that I didn't guess about this. Luca always got sort of moon-faced when I mentioned you. And to think _he _complained that _I_ was thinking about Sheik too much. Looks like I'm finally not the lovesick adolescent anymore. Nope, that title has been stolen clean away from me. And you can have it." He forced a smile. "I won't miss it."

Luca shrugged, smiling as he reached over and took Davin's hand. "It's not even his fault, really. I goaded him into it again."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Again? I recall that in the desert it was hilarious when I had feelings like this. You and Jasten were having a great time laughing over my little 'crush', as he called it. And now you have similar feelings? Huh, fancy that."

"Link, just tell me how many times you want me to apologize, and I'll do twice that." Davin looked troubled.

"I don't want you to apologize." Link looked straight at him. He rubbed his eyes with his hand, sighing in frustration. "Look, I'm sorry, it's alright. I shouldn't have even brought it up. Chalk it up to me not feeling very good today."

Davin nodded with understanding. Goddesses, with how bad Link felt, this felt surprisingly good. Davin was finally being a big brother. "You've got to be missing him like crazy." He glanced at Luca. "I... I wasn't planning on this, just so you know."

"Well, it certainly didn't happen overnight." Link snorted. "So when?"

"I was sixteen." Luca broke in. "Davin was thirteen. And it lasted until I left."

"Well, that answers for a lot." Link looked up at them, trying to smile. There was no reason to take away from their happiness at finding each other again just for the sake of his bitterness at being away from Sheik.

"I'm really... happy for both of you. Are you going to tell dad?"

"Tell me what?" Brock had lumbered out of his room and down the hall, rubbing at his eyes.

Luca hung his head, cursing into his lap.

Davin rubbed his back with one hand, looking at their dad guiltily. "Now dad, I don't want you thinking this is anyone's fault..."

"Fucking goddesses, there's more you all haven't told me? What have I done to warrant this, boys?"

Link snorted, crossing his arms. "The world doesn't revolve around you, _Brock_. People don't always have _you_ in mind when they do things. Sometimes they just do things for themselves, because that's what they need or want. We don't all have to answer to you." Link cast a dark glance up at his father. "What about that don't you get?"

Brock's hands twitched into fists. "Sons are supposed to _respect_ their fathers." He stepped forward until he was towering over Link. "_That's _what I want_._"

"Well, the arrow flies both ways, _dad_." Link growled.

Brock kicked the chair out from under him, dropping Link onto the floor with a harsh _thud_. Link closed his eyes, curling up and preparing for what he knew was coming. Then he felt it, the sharp pain in his side as Brock pulled back his foot and kicked him in the ribs. Goddesses, he had thought he was rid of this. But... he was. This part of his life was over. He didn't have to take this...

"Dad, _stop_!" Link opened his eyes to find Davin kneeling over him, shielding Link with his body. Link looked up into his brother's eyes. They shared something then. Link knew it was going to be alright. He sat up, glaring daggers and hate and death and pain at Brock.

"Don't you _ever_ touch me _again_." Link hissed, righting his chair and pulling himself back into it, clutching at his ribs where they stung. Luca scooted over to him, squeezing his shoulder gently.

"Dad," Davin said from the floor. Link turned to see him sitting there on his knees, eyes clothed. He almost looked at peace. Almost. "Luca and I are back together. And when I say 'back together', I do mean that this isn't the first time."

Brocks eyes widened into orbs as he took in the knowledge. And then his face twisted up and his eyes narrowed back into the darkest scowl. "You haven't seen him for years." Brock said 'him' with a punctuated glare at Luca.

Davin swallowed from where he was on the floor. "I know."

"So now two of my sons are faggots and one of them is a liar!" He spat on the wooden floor. "Is Jasten the only thing I ever did right? Or has he done something to disgrace this family as well? I know there must be something!"

"Shut up!" Link yelled, standing and marching up to Brock until he was nose to—well, nose to about mid-chest. "Do you have any idea how horrible you sound? You say you're coming with us because you don't want to lose anyone else that matters to you? Listen to the things you're saying! Is that something you'd say to people you claim to love?"

"There's not all that much left in you to love, _Link_." Brock sneered back.

Link bared his teeth. "_Fuck. You."_

Brock immediately raised his hand to strike Link, but Luca jumped in the way before he could, arms around Link as he pulled him away. Link looked up at him. Luca was looking at Davin. "Go get your brother. I'll pack for you. We'll leave today as soon as everything's ready." He shot a furious look up at Brock. "And _you_. If you still insist on coming with us, just be ready, or we're leaving you behind." With that, Luca went over to Davin and helped him to his feet, wrapping him in a hug and kissing his brow before disappearing down the hall.

Davin left out the front door and didn't look back.

Link left as well to make sure everything was packed away in his little backpack, leaving Brock standing alone in the kitchen. He hoped... well, he didn't know what he hoped for; all he knew was that he didn't want that man in his life.

* * *

Antony sat on Hanna and his cot, lacing up his boots. Today was a momentous day for all Sheikah kind. They were finally setting forth on the march north. They would be rid of this insignificant country, and then they would take the land of Hyrule from the custody of their enslavers. And for _once_ they would be _free_. They would answer to no one but themselves; it was the way it was always meant to be.

As soon as camp was packed up, they could get a move on, and then—.

Antony's head perked up. There was a sound coming from outside his tent. Voices, movement, shouting. Sounds.

"Attack!" A voice from outside roared. "We're under attack!" Bentlen, Antony's most trusted advisor, rushed into the tent, short sword drawn and sweat matting his half-silver tresses. "Antony, soldiers! Hylian! We're outnumbered! There are too many!"

"What?" Antony jumped to his feet. How? How had word escaped? What were they to do? "Get the children and nursing women out the back of the valley, now! Call every other able-bodied man and woman to fight!"

Bentlen nodded and rushed out. Antony grabbed his sword off the cot, running out into the maelstrom that his camp had become. Yesterday it had been a place to hunt, train and grow. That day it was filled with the screams of his people being slaughtered. Din had sided with the Hylians in this battle indeed. Everywhere his people were running past him, fighting to escape the race that once again had come to hurt them. Would the bastards never have enough of his people's blood on their hands to be satisfied?

The king of Hyrule had sat on his throne, comfortable and warm while his servants gathered around him when he gave the order to snuff them out. After all their fighting to survive…

He set off running towards where the Hylian soldiers must be, but before he could get ten feet, there was a sharp pinch at his back, and he fell to his knees, scrabbling at where the irritant was. What he felt seemed almost surreal. A shaft... an arrow shaft.

And then the pain hit him. Everything flashed before him: friends, his mother and father, Hanna, even his son showed his scowling face, the small Hylian boy at his side. Antony feared not for himself, but for his people whom he knew were dying all around them. And most of all his thoughts went to his wife. Lying there dying, he wished he could have held her one last time.

He screamed.

* * *

_"Mommy, why is daddy always so mad at me?"_

_ Ahnna turned around from the wash bucket to look at her son. He was seated at the table, head barely peeking over the top, his skin browning into a bruise just below his left eye. She dried her hands on a towel, forcing a smile onto her tired face. "Baby, he doesn't mean to get so angry with you."_

_ "But why?" His blue eyes sparkled up at her, no doubt wondering what he always seemed to be doing wrong. Goddesses, she didn't have an answer to give him. _

_ "Come here." She knelt down and held her arms open for him. The little guy climbed down out of his chair and crossed the room to her, wrapping his little arms around her neck and gently twining his fingers into her hair. She lifted him up, kissing the bruised spot on his face softly. "What do you say I finish up the dishes and then we go outside and pick some flowers? Pretty ones that we can put in water on the table. I bet everyone would really like that at dinner, don't you think?"_

_"What about Davin and Jasten?" Link murmured softly. His little arms were still locked around her neck. She stroked his back. "Well, your father took them out with him, remember? They went fishing."_

_He sniffed, laying his head down on her shoulder. "I wanted to go too."_

_She pursed her lips, feeling awful for him. "Well, we can go get your sister, and maybe she'll help us, right?" She pulled her son back, holding him and looking into his sad little eyes. "Does that sound okay? After we get home, maybe you can help me cook dinner. Does that sound like fun?"_

_He nodded, golden hair falling down into his eyes. Ahnna swept it back, smiling at him lovingly. He wiggled to get down. "I wanna go get sissy!" He squealed, laughing as she tickled him before setting him on his feet. He toddled for a moment before scampering off down the hallway to find Haera._

_Ahnna turned back to the wash bucket, speeding through the rest of the dishes. She thanked the goddesses nearly every day for that little boy; even the days when he would throw his tough fits as little kids did. Brock just... didn't understand how she felt. He felt like he was doing right by her, but he just didn't know. She would have never, ever killed one of her babies, even under the circumstances she had found herself in. Her life wasn't worth killing something that sweet. She loved Link just as much as her last baby, and the sweet boy before that, and her grown up baby girl. Well, the girl was only eight, but it felt like she was grown up. And it would only be a matter of years until they all grew up and made lives of their own. She knew she would be proud of them no matter which direction their lives took them. _

_"Momma!" Link squealed. Ahnna looked up. Haera had the little guy in her arms, carrying him out into the kitchen as she tickled his tummy. He laughed uncontrollably, dancing in her arms._

_"Oh no!" Ahnna put her hands on her hips, pulling on a shocked expression. "What am I going to do with that big sister of yours?"_

_Haera smiled as well, setting her brother on his feet. "Go get her, Link!"_

_The little boy waddled over to Ahnna, grabbing onto her legs and hanging on tight. "Oh no!" She played along. "He's got me! What do I do now?"_

_"Surrender!" Link giggled. "I gots you!"_

_"I'll save you, mom!" Haera bent down and scooped Link up again, holding him like a bundle of straw in her arms. "We'll have to make him pick us _lots_ of flowers as punishment."_

_"Yes, it's decided. A whole bouquet! One for each of us!" Ahnna walked over, kissing the tip of Link's nose. "You hear that, you little monster?" Link giggled, rubbing at his nose where she had kissed him._

_Haera let him go, and he scampered out the door, laughing. Ahnna and Haera followed him out of the house, pulling the door closed before taking off after him, pretending they were trying to catch the 'bad guy who had captured momma'. Ahnna was just glad he was happy._

Link opened his eyes, blinking into the darkness. He could hear whispers, probably Luca and Davin. Or maybe even Rosalyn and Jasten. Snoring. Brock.

His dream warmed him. Most of the time when he dreamed of his mother, it was the last time he had ever seen her, when she screamed at him to get under the bed and keep quiet; and her screams when he was hiding his face. Remembering happier times had been nice.

Traveling with his family was slow going. Link was afraid that he'd be away for an entire month before he got home to Sheik. They'd been at it for a week, and they were nearing the border; slowly but surely. Link was counting the days. Eighteen.

What's more, with only one horse between the six of them, the only good Epona did was to nip at Brock whenever he came anywhere near her. She may have found someone she hated more than Sheik. Link was glad for that. Mighty glad indeed.

He estimated reaching Termina by day twenty-one or twenty-two. He was so close he could taste it. Link blushed. He realized that _it_ meant _Sheik_, and even though he was only thinking it to himself, he still looked around sheepishly. Tasting Sheik... Well hmmm, how about that? Link couldn't remember what Sheik tasted like, and that's how he knew it had been entirely too long. He fell back asleep to fantasizing about their long-awaited reunion.

* * *

**Ew... I make myself hate Brock. Seriously, terrible guy.**

**ANYways... , there you have it! The posse has grown! I had a ton of fun writing that littlekid!Link scene. I have no doubts in my mind that he was an adorable kid. Too cute!**

** Thanks for all the reviews, story follows, and favorites, guys! I feel much more motivated to write when I get to hear how you all react to my chapters! I laugh and smile and squeal at all the great things you guys have to say, and I want to thank you! You're all magnificently magnanimous in your sticking with this story alongside me ;).**


	21. Together Again

**LONG chaptertoday. So basically this Author's Note is to apologize for the future if I am slower with updates than usual. I'm spending more time scrutinizing my writing and trying hard to perfect things like sentence structure, word usage, and keeping in character on top of typos and things like that. And hey, I'm not perfect, but editing takes me _so long. _I rewrite several times, and things I don't like _still_ slip through the cracks! Ah, well... Such is the life, eh?**

**I'd also like to put out a warning that this chapter contains sexy interactions of the sexual sort. *wiggles eyebrows***

** Get to reading, my loves!**

* * *

**Together Again**

* * *

Link, Davin, Luca, Jasten, Rosalyn, and Brock were perhaps three hours hard walk from Termina. The only issue—something that had Link gritting his teeth and snapping at anyone who had the _gall_ to speak to him—was that they had about an hour of light left. Sheik was so close, Link could be there, riding Epona in a matter of less than _two_ hours. The whole situation just had him really pissed off.

He knew it wasn't anybody's fault. They couldn't all ride one horse, and there was no way such a large band of people could travel at night. It would attract attention; it wasn't safe. Plus everyone was exhausted. But... it was all just so maddening. And grueling! It may have sounded masochistic, seeing how Link had no desire to be lifted out of his growing depression, but that doesn't go to say he was used to feeling this way. It took a heavy toll.

Link's mind had just desensitized to the point of not thinking anything at all, which he was grateful for. He seemed to have finally perfected the art of numbing his thoughts to nothing and just walking when Brock spoke up.

"You know, Link and I could take the horse ahead, find somewhere sheltered to camp for the night." He turned an upbeat expression on all of them. "Doesn't that sound nice? We could have a fire built, food ready, and beds made." Well didn't he sound like the ever-caring father?

Everyone mumbled their agreement. It was plausible that they all just wanted to be rid of Brock because he was Brock, and Link because of his foul disposition. Davin—who was huddled against the biting cold under Luca's arm—looked a bit worried at sending Link off with Brock alone, but he didn't say anything. It's not like there was any real risk anyways. Link still had the knife Sheik had given him. He wasn't afraid to use it if he needed to. There was an air about them all; an understanding that after all that had transpired, Link could now hold his own against Brock.

So they saddled up—though it was a bit difficult to get Epona to allow Brock on her back—and trotted off. Brock's arms on Link's waist to hold his balance made Link feel sick. After about a half hour of slow and easy riding, Link stopped Epona and waited for the arms to leave him before sliding off the horse and digging into the saddlebags, not uttering a word. They'd found a small clearing that looked like it may have been inhabited before by travelers. Normally Link would have steered clear of an area that had signs of other people who were potential thieves or murderers, always potential hazards, but tonight he didn't care. All he'd wanted was his father's hands off him as soon as possible, and this was how he'd managed that.

There were several fallen logs that had been pulled to rest around a makeshift fire pit. Link started pulling blankets out, bundling them under his arm. "Why don't you build a fire?" He suggested in a monotonous tone, working on the bedding for the night. He was determined to ignore the man.

"I will, son." Link cringed. He hated being referred to as that man's _son_. Brock sat down on one of the fallen logs with a grunt. "But I have something I want to say to you first. Come here."

"No," Link said immediately, continuing with what he was doing. "They'll be here soon, and you promised them three things: fire, food, and beds. Maybe you don't have a habit of keeping your promises, but I certainly try to."

"Link." Brock barked. "It's not your promise to keep. Sit."

Link's hands balled into fists, but he sat on the log next to Brock. Goddesses knew it was better than pulling the knife if things got ugly. Link didn't say anything. He just sat and waited. He was so tired of this...

"Now I know you're not going to want to, Link, but you sit and just listen." Brock sat forward, elbows on his knees, tented fingers at his lips. "I was mighty glad when you came back, mostly because all those weeks I was worrying my mind into madness over you." He shook his head to himself. "The way you've chosen to live your life, as you say—."

"When have I ever said that?" Link's lip curled back. "I haven't chosen any of what's happened to me _except_ for leaving. Best decision I ever made, really.

Brock looked down at his feet. "Words hurt, son. Haven't I ever taught you that?"

Thank the goddesses, hypocrisydidn't seem to run much further in the family than the father. "No, you taught me that fists do." Link growled back. He stood up, but Brock pulled him right on back down.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." Did he think one word could fix a world of wrong and hurt? But Brock insisted, keeping a grip on Link's arm so he'd stay sitting. This situation was too similar to ones Link had already experienced for comfort.

"You don't know how sorry you should be." Link retorted, yanking free of Brock's hold, though he remained on the log next to him. "Just spit out whatever you feel is so important so I can get to work doing the things you said you'd do so _my_ family isn't disappointed when they get here: tired, cold, and hungry!"

Link's irate tone didn't seem to have any effect on Brock. "I gotta tell you, boy." He muttered, looking away. "I don't think that Sheikah is good for you." Link opened his mouth to argue something back, but Brock spoke over him, silencing him with a glare. "Let me finish. I said I don't think he's any good for you, and I ain't saying that because that what I'm sure you boys have been getting up to together is unnatural. Not to mention you spreading the habit to your brother, but that's not why—."

"Habit?" Link snorted loud enough to make Brock stop talking and look over. He didn't need to be hearing this. He closed his eyes and focused his mind on the fact that tomorrow was the day he'd finally see Sheik again. But Brock kept talking, and his words were distracting. They were infuriating. The broke into the sanctuary of Link's mind, making him not sad, but more and more furious.

"It's just not healthy, what that kid's got you going through. He somehow convinced you to leave your home and the folks that love you. It's a circle, Link, and as long as he's around you, you're never going to get out. He's got you trapped in a web of guilt to come back to him even though that's not what's best for you. And then there's the attitude. I—I know I haven't been the best father to you, but I'd hoped there was some way we could fix that. If only to convince you to stay away from him. I..."

"Oh, goddesses." Link spat, anger rising. "Do you know how stupid you sound right now? This anger? It's because I hate being near you! I miss him, you idiot!" He wiped at his eyes with shaking fists. "It's too late for any mending, why can't you see that? You're the one who's not any good for me."

Brock gritted his teeth together. Link knew he was trying the little patience that the man had been trying to build up within himself for this talk. "And I can see he's spent plenty of his time turning you against me. He's not even here and he has this level of influence over you! And you know something? I don't think I'm going to like the person he wants you to be. Because it'll be exactly like him. And I love you because you're exactly like you."

Link looked up at this man before him, tears still leaking through despite his efforts to wipe them away. 'I love you because you're exactly like you.' For a moment—only a moment—a grain of hope planted itself within him. But it was snuffed out as a cruel ghost of a smirk began to grow on Link's face; slowly, like an other-worldly spiritual entity creeping through darkness. He understood what this sorry excuse for a man was trying to do. He had been waiting his entire life for Brock to say something like that to him. Something fatherly. Something wise, and loving. Just... something that said he cared in some way. All these years, he'd been fighting for love and acceptance... But that was over now. Now that Brock had said those words it was like some kind of sick joke. Love? Ha! Love was when you strove to do the highest good for the other person, no matter if it was what you wanted or not. The only time Brock had ever done Link any good was when he'd dragged him away from his mother's corpse. There was no love between them. Link would kiss the bare soles of a homeless beggar's feet if anyone could ever prove any different. He really would. Because he knew it would never happen.

Brock must have taken Link's silence as deep contemplation of his words, because he slung an arm over Link's smaller frame in an awkward manner. He'd been right about the contemplation, but he'd been conceded to think that Link was considering his words with any serious conviction. Link stared forward at the fire. He wished the others would catch up to them soon. He should have known Brock was up to something when he'd suggested the two of them ride ahead.

Brock squeezed Link's shoulders so tightly it hurt. Link ignored the pain, staring blankly ahead while quietly drying his tears, a quiet rage slowly building in the pit of his stomach. How _dare_ that man prattle away about how he disapproved of the things going on in Link's life? About the person he _loved_. It was laughably too late for him to be playing the parent card.

Link jerked to his feet, lurching away from the log. "Don't touch me." Brock's eyebrows knitted themselves together on his forehead. "I don't want to hear another word. My entire life living with you can't hold a candle to the things I've felt in the past two months!"

Link stormed over to Epona, getting the rest of the blankets and hurling them on the ground with force. He could sense Brock behind him, readying himself to say something else. "Link, this isn't—."

"No." Link pushed past him, spreading out blanket after blanket around the fire pit. "Don't even talk to me." He wrenched his jacket tighter around himself—it had been falling off at the shoulders. "Just make yourself useful for once and build a fire."

"I kept you and the boys alive." He said through the darkness. "When we were crossing Hyrule to Castle Town." Goddesses, what was he doing? Trying to validate or justify himself in some way? The good news was that if he felt he needed justification, there must be at least some guilt buried there for what he'd done.

"Kept us _alive_?" Link kicked at the dirt in frustration. "If I hadn't jumped in front of you when you were talking to Fen that day, we would have died in that wasteland!"

"But that damn Sheikah brat was up to sodomizing you when we were in that camp!"

"Sheik didn't _touch_ me in the desert!" Link insisted, spreading the last blanket flat. "If you're not going to make a fire, get out the bread or something." Brock was now following Link around the dark camp as the boy bent down to gather odd bits of wood from the logs and sticks for a fire.

"You expect me to believe that he didn't—."

"Yes, dad! Goddesses, we didn't even kiss each other until one night in some city in the middle of Hyrule somewhere, more than a week after I left! Hell, we didn't even make love until the night before I left to find you guys! There was no... seduction orcorruption..." Link smiled to himself through all the frustration at his father. _Okay, well, maybe a _little_ seduction,_ he thought to himself, masking a weary smile by coughing into his sleeve.

"Don't call it that!" Brock snapped. "That's not what you two get up to. It's not love, it's something—."

"What? Something _what_, dad?" Link dumped all of the wood into the fire pit, yanking a flint and steel out of his pack and showering the dark pit with sparks, hissing in frustration when time after time, none of the wood caught.

"It's not love." He repeated. "There's no doubt in my mind that you and Davin think it is, but it's not."

"You can't tell me it's any different from how you felt about mom," Link muttered.

Brock called Link a very ugly name before stomping over to Epona for the food. Of course, she wouldn't let him anywhere near him; so he cursed again and plopped down onto one of the logs. Link kept on with the fire, and after a few dozen more tries, it caught.

Five minutes later, everyone else arrived. There was a very uncomfortable, tense silence between most everyone.

Making an attempt at being friendly, Link said maybe two words to Davin and Luca each, but he was feeling too tired for it. They mostly talked to each other; same thing with Jasten and Rosalyn. They all went to bed that night with that same awkward feeling among them.

* * *

"Are you all always like this?" Luca's warm breath flooded Davin's ear as they lay there, curled around each other in the freezing darkness. "The... weird silence? I seem to remember you all being a mostly happy bunch." He was whispering so quietly his words were a little difficult to pick up.

Davin sighed. "Pretty much, but ever since what happened..." Well, Davin figured Luca knew what he meant. "But it seemed a little bit worse tonight. I think Brock may have said something to Link." In fact, Davin _knew_ he had. Why else bother coming up with that ridiculous idea of riding ahead? Splitting up was a horrible idea. But maybe it wasn't just Link. After all, the way Brock was, it was surprising that the knowledge of two gay sons hadn't killed him yet in some wild explosion of decimated fatherly pride.

But Davin was happier than he'd been in a while. He didn't regret his decision to get back together with Luca, even if it made Brock mad enough to spit fire. He didn't care. He wasn't afraid of the man who had spent every other night in his room, crying his eyes out and doing nothing to improve his life. He was the one who had caused it to go to shit in the first place. That didn't deserve pity.

Luca was... Well, he took care of Davin in little ways that showed a lot of what a sweet guy he was, even after being tossed around and toyed with for so many years by other... other guys. Luca would rub his arms, creating friction against the cold, and he insisted that Davin take the spot that was closer to the fire. What's more, the man had seen Davin's baby brother safely to Castle Town. He smiled. Their days together as kids had only been fond—albeit confusing—memories that he only dared think about late at night alone in his room. Never in a million years, and not for all the rupees in the world had Davin ever entertained the idea of his first love thinking of him again after so many years and popping up on his front porch, let alone them ending up like this.

"Are you going to sleep?" Luca's arms tightened around Davin.

"Kinda, yeah." Davin muttered blearily.

"Sleepy head." Luca snorted, lips grazing around Davin's ear.

"Shut up, you're tired too."

"At least tomorrow maybe Link'll brighten up. I feel bad for the little guy... But I'm pretty sure we'll reach Termina sometime tomorrow."

"It'll be good for him to be beck together with Sheik." Davin agreed, wiggling his back tighter against Luca's chest.

"I'll be honest, I'm pretty eager to meet that kid. From what I've heard, he sounds really interesting." Luca snickered, masking the sound by burying his face in Davin's hair. "The first thing I heard about him from Link was that he was an outlaw. I imagined some sort of hardened criminal standing next to Link, and I'll admit, I had a hard time not laughing."

"You dork." Davin hummed, "Seriously. Link told you about a teenage Sheikah, and the first image you conjured in your mind was someone who probably eats rocks and falcons for breakfast or something like that?"

"Rocks and falcons?" Luca whispered back skeptically. "And I'm the dork?"

"Shut up, you." Davin commanded, eyes drooping.

Luca yawned as well, revealing how tired he really was. "At least in Termina we'll finally be able to be alone."

Davin opened his eyes. "Are we so eager?"

"Maybe a little."

"Be honest."

"Then maybe a lot. But you know, I'm patient. I'm happy right now. That's enough."

"What do you think will happen once we get there?"

"After a couple days, I think Link will take Sheik and run as fast as he can."

"Maybe we can convince him to take us along." Davin mumbled, closing his eyes again and pulling the blanket up so it covered his nose. It was cozier that way. "At least for a little ways. We could find somewhere nice to live in Termina, couldn't we? I mean, if you'd like."

"Somewhere very nice." Luca agreed. "I'm sure Jasten and Rosalyn will do something similar. They're looking to marry, right?"

"Yes. She's a very sweet girl, actually. A bit of an oddball, maybe. But sweet."

"So you're saying she's the upbeat eccentric to counter his grumpy pessimism? Opposites must really attract." He mused. "And you know it's good that they like each other. Cause no one else would."

Davin elbowed him lightly in the stomach. "Go to sleep before you offend anyone else."

"What? I'm charming."

"Yeah, when you want something."

"...Well I guess I can't argue with that."

"It's _me_ you can't argue with, goofball."

"That's right." The arms around Davin cinched. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Dream of it all you want. Just sleep."

* * *

Sheik ran a hand back through his hair, studying how it made him look in a large mirror that Anju kept in her and Kafei's room. He immediately smoothed it down back to the way it usually hung, partway in his eyes. Then he gathered all of it that was long enough to grab and held it off his head, imagining himself with short hair. He'd never had to worry what to do with his hair when he lived at the castle. That silly turban of his uniform covered it all up. But lately whenever he caught a glimpse of his reflection, he'd looked a little a wild. He didn't want to look wild when Link came back. He'd been keeping track. This was day twenty-two. Day twenty-freaking-two. And it was evening. The day was almost over.

Then it would be twenty-three.

"Sheik?" It was Kafei, calling from downstairs. Was it more bad news? Sheik froze in front of the mirror, his eyes locked on their own crimson reflection. Had the Hylian soldiers discovered he was here? Did that mean they weren't looking for the rebel Sheikah army after all? Had they been looking for _him_ all along? "Sheik! You're going to want to get down here _now_!" Kafei called again, sounding urgent.

Kafei wouldn't sell Sheik out, he knew that. If there were soldiers down there, he would have come up the stairs to warn him in quiet before they came through the front door. Still, he considered climbing out the window... "Sheik, damn it!"

Sheik slipped off the desk that sat in front of the mirror, gazing at himself walk away in its glassy surface. He rounded the close corner and then moved down the steps on silent feet. Where was Duncan? Was the Earl still sleeping?

"Sheik?"

He froze, halfway down the first flight of steps, staring at the wall of the landing before him. What was this? Was his mind playing tricks on him? Was he really _that_ dependent on Link's presence that he was imagining him there, at the Stock Pot Inn _speaking_ to him?

"Maybe he's not up there." Kafei said, like he was talking to somebody else.

"Could he have gone out or something?" Sheik didn't recognize the voice that time. He was still frozen just before the landing, feeling a bit cold in his thin, off-white shirt and tan shorts that he had purchased there in Clock Town a week or so before. They reminded him of what he'd worn in the desert, though the material was heavier. Considering the dreary weather outside, the whole reason he had worn such light wear was because he hadn't planned on going outside that day. Had that been a mistake? Did he need to run after all?

"No, he came down this morning for breakfast dressed in shorts, declaring that he wasn't going out today, even if I 'begged him to' as he put it. It is evening, but—." Footsteps on the first flight of stairs. A purple-haired head showed itself around the corner, the rest of him following soon after. "Why are you standing there like an idiot?" He said, chuckling.

"Sheik!" That time hadn't been his imagination. A huge, silly grin broke out across his face. He hurried forward. He'd heard that familiar voice for sure. No more worrying. He was so excited that it was the real thing, and not just another dream. No more regretting!

His feet touched the floor at the landing, where he stopped beside Kafei and looked up, smiling broadly—

—stupidly at the eight people standing in the lobby of the inn who were looking straight back up at him, that is. Jasten and Davin were standing down there, and Anju and Duncan as well. Link was there, and Sheik's heart soared at that. But there were two faces down there that he'd never seen before in his life. And one face he'd hoped to never see again. What were they all doing there? _Why _had Link brought them?

His mind skipped to the days when he'd first known Duncan, and what the Earl had told him. He'd been warned of this. He'd promised himself he'd keep his cool countless times. He could do that. He didn't know the whole story, after all. Slowly, he forced his feet to work again, and they carried him down the stairs.

Link was standing there at the forefront of it all, a hopeful expression on his face. Behind him stood what was left of family, and a few others as well. They all looked at Sheik, some less than pleased to be seeing him. _Well, right back at them_. Sheik made a note of where Brock was standing quickly, just in case, taking in his narrowed eyes and working jaw with a passive expression. He wanted the man to know that he knew he was there.

Sheik stepped forward slowly, cautiously, eyes shifting between all the people in the room. He eyed them all like a wild animal approaching an offered treat by a hunter. His instincts told him to be cautious, but he needed to hold Link. He was _right there_. He needed to hold him.

It felt like hours before he made that last step. He didn't use words; he pulled Link into a tight, possessive hug, wrapping his arms around him snug enough to make him squeak.

He rested his chin on his shoulder so that he could watch the others. Goddesses strike them down for ruining this reunion... He squeezed Link tighter, finally shutting his own eyes tight and allowing himself to feel joyful. _Mine_, the embrace said. _He is mine_.

Sheik pulled back far enough to meet Link's eyes. They were a sparkling sapphire, just like he remembered. They were searching his own for something. Sheik wasn't sure what. Anger, perhaps? They seemed older; maybe not _quite_ as familiar as Sheik remembered after all. "Sheik, you—."

He impulsively covered Link's mouth with a kiss, not caring at the moment about their rather large audience. Half of it was that he was so happy to see him again. The other half was... for lack of a better term... staking out his claim... _And_ making sure it was known who here _really_ loved Link. He wanted them to know what the boy had been up to with him, and that they weren't just friends anymore... Which might have explained why he was being so much rougher with him than usual.

While he was kissing Link, just as the boy's hand had tangled itself into his hair, Sheik's eyes flashed opened. They flicked over to Brock, who saw him looking. Sheik's eyes narrowed in warning, and it was then that Link opened his eyes as well and saw who Sheik was looking at.

He pulled his mouth away, loosening Sheik's hold on them. "Sheik, I—l."

Sheik ignored him, taking Link's hand in his and pulling him forward to the closest person to them. There was no way he would get away with simply whisking him up the stairs and into bed. He had to do this.

Davin and... some tall, curly-haired bloke were first in the procession line. Sheik stuck out his hand, offering it to Davin. Link's older brother and he were about the same height, but the other guy towered over five inches above them. "I don't know if we've ever been properly introduced." Sheik said brightly, flashing a dazzling smile. Link let go of his hand and took his waist instead. Sheik pulled him close. "I'm Sheik."

Davin looked a bit befuddled, but he smiled back, shaking Sheik's hand. "Davin. I'm Link's eldest." He glanced up at the tall guy standing rather closely beside him. "This is my... eh, my—."

"It's Luca. And it's a pleasure to meet you." The guy shook Sheik's hand, raising his brow as he looked down at him. "I guess you could say that I'm Davin's boyfriend." He flashed a grin back that might have rivaled Sheik's in its dazzling power. Sheik swallowed. He used his smile to manipulate most times, usually. The impact of this guy's lopsided grin made him wonder to what extents this guy used his own attractive facade for.

But that boyfriend thing threw Sheik for a loop. He looked back at Davin, studying him for a split second before smiling and nodding his consent to them. Link hadn't ever mentioned that his brother had the same tendencies that he did.

Sheik turned, continuing with the procession. The younger brother was next. "Jasten, right?" Sheik smiled fiendishly, extending his hand. Jasten hesitated, but shook it. He looked suspicious; Sheik supposed he could understand why. He had stolen away his little brother and dragged him across Hyrule. _Willingly_ across Hyrule, but nevertheless. What's more, this was all a little surreal for Sheik... All these Hylians, treating him like an actual person, and not just an eyesore... Well, he'd never predicted a day like this. It had him on edge, despite his elation at seeing Link again.

"And you're Sheik." Jasten pulled a tiny smile across his lips, but Sheik could tell it was very forced. "This is Rosalyn, my fiancé."

Sheik peered at Jasten closely, raising an eyebrow. Link chuckled next to him, but when Sheik looked at him to see why, he turned his face away. But Link couldn't hide from him; he could still see his cheeks raised in the curve of a smile. "What?" Sheik demanded, nudging him, eyebrows pulling together bemusedly. Link was indeed enigmatic.

"Nothing." Link bit his lip, still grinning. "Keep going."

"I'm sorry." Sheik said, turning back to Jasten. "I just... had no idea that you were engaged." He sniffed. "I suppose you could say it surprised me a little." He grinned, taking Rosalyn's hand and kissing it, as a gentleman would. "You're beautiful, my lady."

Rosalyn chuckled, taking her hand back and laying it over Jasten's chest. "And none of these _boys_ told me just how charming you are." She cooed back.

"It's my pleasure." Link laid his head on Sheik's shoulder and sighed. He had _sighed_! Oh goddesses, this wasn't good. They had been apart too long. Sheik couldn't tell if that was a good sign, or—.

A large, callused hand was thrust at him. Sheik stared at it for a brief moment, utterly shocked, before shaking it and looking up at its owner. "Sir?" He asked, confused but wary.

"Brock. But I'm sure you already knew that." He looked down on him, his expression locked into some... passive mask.

"Yes, I did." Sheik swallowed, turning away. He searched the room and found Duncan. For once, the sight of that idiotic, grinning face comforted him instead of irritating him. He smiled and pulled Link forward.

All of these people and all of this politeness was unnerving him... But Duncan was familiar. Duncan he _knew_. "Link." he stated proudly. "_This_ is my friend, Duncan. He sort of... kept me sane while you weren't around. Gave me someone to talk to, anyways." He put a hand on Link's back, pushing him forward.

"W-we met while you were upstairs." Link stuttered. Duncan had ignored their approach and had instead ducked down and was currently circling Link, inspecting him from all sides.

"Yes, we met." Duncan muttered to himself. "But at a _distance_! What I really want to see is what makes him _tick_!" He grabbed Link's hand, tearing him away from Sheik, and spinning him in a messy pirouette.

"Earl!" Sheik hissed in annoyance. Duncan's head snapped up to show him smiling widely. _Too_ wide, perhaps.

"Boy, I'm glad you're finally here." Duncan surged forward, crushing Link in what looked like a painfully strong hug. "You've no idea how mopey Sheik's been. He even forgot how to play cards in his depressed stupor. Irritating, really."

Sheik rolled his eyes, stealing Link back. "I'll show you stupor..." He muttered.

Anju and Kafei introduced themselves, and then everyone sort of formed a large circle and began talking about really trivial things that seemed odd. Like... the weather. Jasten actually brought up the weather.

Sheik discretely placed a hand on Link's hip, pushing him backwards an inch or so. Link's head turned towards him, searching his face for some clue as to what he was doing. As covertly as he could, Sheik gestured to the staircase behind them. Link turned, looked, and then nodded, smiling softly.

"Well, we should get rooms sorted out, then." Sheik interrupted whoever had been talking. It must have been Jasten, because the guy gave him a dirty look from across the room. Sheik glared right on back, taking advantage of the intimidating factor of his red eyes. Once Jasten looked down in defeat, Sheik turned his attention to Anju. "I can pay for all of them if they can't manage it." He told her. "Don't worry. I doubt we'll be staying long. I don't want to take advantage of your kindness, after all. Where do you want them all?"

Anju looked out at the sea of them with a daunted expression. "Well... we have two separate rooms free... the ones you and Duncan are using now, and one big room with several bunk beds, but I don't know if-." Her eyes shifted to Duncan.

"Oh my, well I have no qualms about sleeping in a bunk bed! Heavens, no! Perhaps I'll make a new friend or two." He looked at Brock and Jasten's sour expressions without an ounce of discouragement. "After all, I'm a wonderful friend with Sheik, and I've fallen asleep in his bedroom many a time!" Link turned to look at Sheik, a startled, suspicious expression on his face. Sheik hung his head, rubbing his face tiredly. "Give my room to one of the couples, I say!" Duncan continued, studying his fingernails. He glanced up at all of them, a sly look in his eye. "I don't want to be sleeping in a room where _that_ is going on anyways, if you all catch my drift."

"_Well then_, if you don't mind, we'd be very grateful for the room." Davin smiled, breaking the tension.

"What?" Jasten challenged. "How is _that_ fair?"

"I'm older, that's how." Davin muttered, silencing his younger brother with a death glare. Sheik pursed his lips, not sure if he was amused by this display of brotherly rivalry or not.

"Oh, Jass, give it to them." Rosalyn cocked her head, gazing up at her fiancé with a warning in her eye. Everybody looked away uncomfortably.

Jasten's cheeks reddened at the fact that the entire room now knew that his fiancé was making him wait until marriage; which actually wasn't all that unreasonable a demand. Not at all, actually. A woman's honor went down the drain if she bore a child out of wedlock. Jasten, like most boys his age, was no doubt overeager. Sheik could attest to those feelings of... desire. They happened. They were hard to control. After all, Jasten could only be a few months older than him.

He nodded without a word, looking at the ceiling as if there were something really interesting up there all of the sudden.

"Let's get your stuff in the room, then, _nal__í_." Sheik led the way up the stairs. He'd meant only Link to follow, but everyone filed right on up after him. _Goddesses_... He opened the room to his and Link's door, which was the first in the hallway, across from Kafei and Anju's, and Link waited in the doorframe for him.

"Your room is in here. Duncan's probably already taken all his stuff out and put it in the bigger one ahead of time, knowing him." Sheik walked over to the bigger room, opening it up to reveal a single bed and other mundane furnishings. Davin and Luca stepped inside, looking around at everything. Davin walked over to the bed, setting his stuff down, but Luca stopped at the door, turning to Sheik. His shoulders blocked the room from Sheik's sight. Sheik still couldn't discern whether or not he liked this one yet.

"Hey," He whispered, leaning close so only Sheik could hear him. "That kid over there." His hazel eyes flicked over to Link and then back to Sheik again. "He's crazy about you." His eyebrows wiggled up and down. Sheik felt a little strange... "Treat him good, tonight, alright?" He flashed that grin again.

Sheik crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow and putting all his weight on one hip. "_You_ make sure you treat his big brother good, are we understood?"

Luca chuckled. "I like you already, Mr. Sheik of the Sheikah." He leaned against the doorframe. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Sheik didn't have to think long about his response. "You may ask me anything, but my answer isn't guaranteed."

Luca smirked, cocking his head. "What was that you called Link, right before we all came up the steps?"

Sheik blinked. _Nal__í_. It had fallen so habitually from his mouth... "It's my... name for him. It's Sheikahn tongue. It's... an old word."

"Wow." Luca's hazel eyes were kind, Sheik decided. They were playful, and understanding. Perhaps he could be trusted. "That's very..." His lips twitched. "Endearing. I suppose we'll see you at dinner." With that, he slipped back inside and shut the door.

Sheik turned back to the rest of the people in the hall. "Everyone else is at the end of the hall." Sheik didn't bother to escort them. "Duncan will be happy to show you." He grabbed Link and dragged him into the room, shutting the door and tossing him to the bed.

* * *

Link landed on the bed where Sheik had thrown him with an '_oof_!' His head hit the pillow, and for a moment he was astonished with how comfortable it felt. It'd been awhile since he'd had a bed to sleep on instead of the cold. Hard ground huddled as close to the fire as was possible without singing off his eyebrows. He'd closed his eyes to savor the comfort of the bed, and when he opened them again, they fell on the window and the darkened world outside. It was late.

There was a click on the other side of the room as the door was closed. Sheik was standing before him in the middle of the room, arms crossed over his thin chest as he watched him.

Link smiled warmly. Here he was, back with Sheik. Things were supposed to be this way. "What?" He asked, sitting up.

Sheik cocked his head, looking at Link from a different angle. "You look a bit different." He answered quietly, strolling over to the bed and running his fingers gently over the comforter. "Your eyes..."

"What's wrong with my eyes?" Link asked, blinking self-consciously.

"They're older." Sheik sat lightly on the edge of the bed. He seemed so far away... "You're an old soul, Link. I'm only beginning to realize that, but I can see that you've done some growing up."

"I've stopped putting up with my father, if that's what you mean. I stood up to him, finally."

Sheik remained sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at his feet. A curtain of sandy-blonde hair was masking his face from view. "That's wonderful, Link." He still wouldn't look up at him.

"Well, Davin backed me up. So did Luca, actually. They've been really great to me."

"Yes, I've been meaning to ask you." Sheik perked up, his head snapping up to look at Link with those commanding red eyes that he had missed so dearly. "Who..." He turned and crawled further onto the bed, seating himself between Link's legs. Link stared at his now-much-closer face with a pleasant smile. It felt good to be playful again. "...Is that Luca person, and how is it that he is—this seems an inappropriate word for the matter, but—_courting_ your brother?"

"Oh, that." Link sat up straighter, leaning against the headboard. Sheik scooted up further between his knees, sitting on his own legs. "Well, I only found out about them a few days ago, myself, but it turns out they've been at it before, so to speak. I'll start at the beginning."

Sheik smirked, ruby eyes flashing. "That seems rather logical for the likes of you, Link."

"Shut it, mister." Link scowled. "It was a few days after I had crossed the border back into Hyrule. I had been trying really hard not to make any stops, but I was out of supplies and didn't have a bow like you—not that I'd know how to use it if I did—so I stopped in a city."

Sheik frowned at him, obviously displeased.

"Yes, yes, I know you don't like it. Just listen. I was waiting at one of the vendor carts." He pursed his lips, thinking. "I think I was waiting for bread. Anyways, this guy—Luca—comes up to the same cart, asking for bread too; so we waited together."

"Sounds safe. I'm so glad I let you go without me." Sheik deadpanned. "Goddesses, it's a wonder you weren't mugged or raped, or worse. You have too much boyish charm for your own good."

"Will you shut up?" Link hissed, eyeing Sheik with a warning glare. "Anyways, he was really nice, and we were both going to castle Town, so I agreed to travel with him."

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Sheik squeezed Link's knee tightly.

Link shot him one final warning look. "One more outburst, and you're in big trouble. After we made camp, we started talking, and it _turns out_—." Link glared daggers at Sheik to keep him quiet. "I knew him when I was little."

"Still though..."

"Oh!" Link bounced up and down excitedly. "And I found Epona! I did! The night I met Luca! She's in a stable not too far from the inn." He grinned broadly.

Sheik rolled his eyes. "I knew she'd be back. Just my luck. Now shall we get back on subject?"

Link snorted. "Fine. He was Davin's best friend in Ordon. Well, they were more than friends, as it turned out, but no one knew about them being… together."

"Childhood lovers?" Sheik snorted. "Well isn't that _cute?_" He said it like he thought it was the opposite of cute.

"You're too cynical." Link complained. "Let me finish. Luca asked why I was going to Castle Town, and as soon as he heard Davin's name, he practically became my sidekick until we got there."

"How did things go when you got there? What made you ask them to come with you here?"

Link pursed his lips guiltily. "I... I was planning on asking them to come with me when I left. I just... a warning wasn't enough. I had to see them safe. It was strange though... We saw no sign of the Sheikah army on our way back down here. I—I was expecting to have to hide from them. I know they're clever, but you can't hide an army that large on the move. Especially with children."

Sheik's face grew a little more guarded, which alerted Link to the fact that something was hiding there. "What?" He asked, leaning forward, staring straight into his eyes. "What is it?"

"While... while you were gone, Hylian soldiers have... come here. To Termina. They're searching the countryside for the Sheikah, I think. I can only think that they've had to call off the attack for now, and that they're laying low, probably in hiding."

Link's brow pulled together. Hylian soldiers? Here? But... The soldiers that Luca and he had seen in Hyrule Field... It couldn't be the same ones, could it? They had said there was a disturbance... But... "I saw them." He swallowed. "I saw the soldiers."

"You did?" Sheik looked down at Link's stomach. "Good that I wasn't with you, then. This isn't good."

Link nodded. "They found your knife on me."

Sheik's head snapped up immediately, his eyes full of threatening intent. "Did they hurt you?"

Link shrugged. "Nothing too bad. They were just a bit rough. Particularly the woman..."

Sheik did _not_ look happy at that. "A woman _touched_ you?"

"No. Her men did. They searched both Luca and me. They were a bit... abrasive, I'll admit." Link scratched the back of his neck.

"Those bastards!" Sheik hissed with venom.

"Hush, you." Link reached up and ran a few fingers through Sheik's sandy-blonde hair. "They didn't hurt me, and after all, isn't that what matters in the end? I'm here, I'm sound, and everything is alright."

"They could still use a good kick up their pants." Sheik muttered.

Link ignored him mostly, still touching his hair. "What have you been up to?"

Sheik moved closer. "Link, I have been bored out of my mind. There's literally nothing worth telling."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Nothing? That Duncan fellow seemed pretty interesting."

Sheik rolled his eyes. "Oh, him. We tripped each other in the marketplace a few days after you left. He's... actually, he's a really creepy guy."

Link pursed his lips. "He seems nice."

"If you like that sort of thing, I suppose. Really, the only thing he's good for is being so ridiculous that he somehow manages to distract me from whatever I'm thinking about. Which is usually you. Or the soldiers."

"That does seem like something to worry about."

"Aye. We'll have to keep an eye open for them when we leave."

Link half-smiled, staring deep into those vast pools of red. "Come here." He whispered finally, sliding down onto his back.

Sheik sunk down on top of him, letting their foreheads touch and their hair mesh together. "'Come here' he says."

Sheik hovered closer, and their lips touched with a gentle pressure. "I do believe I just said that." Link said against Sheik's mouth. "Problem?"

"Yes, well, not exactly." Sheik kissed him fully, fingers becoming tangled in his hair. He pulled away slightly to say: "_I'm _not the one with the problem, you see. Duncan is bound to stomp in here at any moment and interrupt the two of us."

Link's chest rose and fell with increasing intensity and speed. "Does he really do that?"

"Never mind." Sheik's lips locked themselves onto Link's neck. "Forget about him."

Link shut his eyes tight, moaning softly beneath Sheik's warm body. It was dark and late, sure, but people in the inn were still up. Shouldn't they wait? Or at least be quiet?

Sheik's knee slid up between his legs, making Link moan loudly because his knee had nudged him_ there_. "Sheik." He panted. His head lolled off on the pillow. "Someone's going to come in here, and—ah—." He clenched his teeth as he was pushed further up the mattress. "Wait. What are you doing?"

"Pardon?" Sheik asked, head down as he unbuttoned Link's faded green shirt from the bottom up.

"Wait." Link said again, laughing as he laid back and watched. "Aren't you supposed to start up here?" He tugged at his collar.

The Sheikah looked up at him, smirking while his fingers still worked. "What would you know?"

Link slapped Sheik's shoulder. "What would _you_ know?"

"Lean forward." Sheik instructed, and Link did, letting the old, over-washed shirt be peeled from his arms.

"Can I ask you something?" Link blinked, leaning back against the pillows.

"Absolutely anything, and I will answer it with whatever knowledge I possess."

"I know you like me—."

"Silly boy, I _love_ you." Sheik sat back onto his knees, listening.

"Yes, and I love you too, but... before you met me... did you like boys?" Link cringed in embarrassment. "Or, like… did anybody like you… is what I'm asking."

The older boy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Wow, um... You know I wasn't romantically involved with anyone, right?"

"Yeah, but did you..." Link shrugged. "You know, notice anybody?"

The Sheikah blinked. "Yes. But mostly I just wondered why no one else ever seemed the same as me. In the city, it was different. I mean, I saw a little bit more of it, but I was always alone. I doubt any Hylian would have touched me, no matter what they liked." He flashed a smile that brightened the dim of the room and kissed Link. "Until I met you."

Link couldn't stop smiling. "And then you convinced me to run away from home under the pretense that we'd be great... friends for our whole lives."

Sheik leaned forward, pushing Link flat against the bed. "You are my best friend, _nali_."

"Mmm." Link hummed. "And this time we don't have to use a cot inside a freezing tent." He ran his hands down Sheik's stomach, stopping when he got to the skin between his pants and shirt. "Arms up." He ordered, and Sheik sat back a little, raising his arms so Link could pull his shirt over his head.

Link's brow furrowed as he took in Sheik's naked torso. "What?" Sheik asked, sounding a little self-conscious. He hugged himself, looking away.

"Have you eaten _anything_ since I left?" Link said. Sheik sat up a little straighter, leaving Link flat on his back.

"Of course I have." Sheik snapped in a grumpy tone.

Link's brow scrunched together. "Like... more than once, though." He poked Sheik. "Is that a rib?"

"Hush." Sheik growled, covering Link's mouth with his hand. "You're ruining the mood. You can fatten me up all you want tomorrow, okay? And besides, you look like you've lost weight too."

Link sighed heavily. "Look—whatever. I know you aren't going to waste away in front of me. Just—kiss me, okay?"

Sheik leaned down and pressed his lips to Link's. Link breathed in his scent, marveling at how it made his mouth water. "Blow—." Link said against his lips. "Blow out the lamp."

Sheik's weight lifted off of him, and then the room was all darkness and soft blankets. Sheik's form lowered over him again, and Link pulled him closer, sucking on the sensitive spot between his neck and shoulder. Sheik let out a grunt of pleasure as his hands stroked their way up Link's thighs, ghosting over his manhood, and up to the clasp of his pants.

"Ungh," Link swallowed roughly, curling his neck to better reach the back of Sheik's neck. He could already feel a distinctive lump forming up against his leg.

Sheik unclasped his pants and yanked them down along with his undershorts. The cool air felt surprisingly good against Link's rising heat, and when Sheik leaned down and pressed kisses all over his chest, across his collarbone, and along his ribs, Link thought he was going to explode with how wonderful it felt.

It was better than the love-making in the Sheikah camp.

Sheik moved over Link in exactly the right way, sending Link reeling into sensual oblivion. "Ah," Link arched his back against the mattress, grinding up against Sheik. "Holy goddesses, hah—." Link's hands shot between them to Sheik's pants. It really wasn't fair that he was still wearing those adorable little shorts. Things felt too slow, too safe.

"Sheik?' Link whispered in a husky voice, just as he heard the rustling sound of Sheik kicking off the shorts in the darkness.

"Mmm?"

"L-lean back." Link swallowed, placing his hands on Sheik's chest and pushing him back until he was sitting again. Link pulled his legs out from under Sheik, seating himself on his own knees. He couldn't hear anything of Sheik in the darkness apart from his even breathing. Slowly, Link placed both his hands on Sheik's hips, bending his neck down until he felt the top of his head brush against Sheik's stomach.

"Link, are you...? Goddesses..."

Link blew a steady stream of hot breath onto Sheik's stomach, dipping his head down, and taking him in his mouth, sliding all the way over him. Sheik moaned loudly, breaking the silence in the room as his hand twined itself through Link's hair.

It was a really surreal experience, feeling Sheik in his mouth, all rigid and velvet soft. Link was feeling it too. A pang of desire washed through him, flowing up his spine and flooding heat to his cheeks. Link had never imagined this. Little kids have dreams, but this had never been his. He'd rather be doing this with Sheik a million times over than doing any of the things he'd thought about when young. This was worth so much to him, and by the loud, appreciative sounds Sheik was making, it was worth quite a lot to him as well.

And that's why he was so surprised when Sheik stopped him and hugged him tightly to his chest, rubbing his back soothingly. His hands grabbed Link's, pulling him forward until their entire bodies were touching. Skin to skin, feeling so good. Sheik leaned down, putting a hand on the back either of either of Link's thighs, pulling in a sharp motion. Link's entire balance was thrown off, and he fell on his butt right into Sheik's lap.

"Hmm, look at you." Sheik purred, wrapping his arms around his back, tugging Link tightly up against him.

"I love you." Link murmured back, wrapping his legs around Sheik's waist.

Sheik hummed, stroking up and down Link's spine, sending shivers right down to his core. "Are you ready?"

Link blinked in the darkness, biting his lip. "Yes."

He heard Sheik spit into his palm, so he lifted himself off of him slightly. There was stillness until he felt a pressure near his entrance, and then slowly, he sunk down on top of Sheik. Link bit his lip until he tasted blood. It was as excruciating as he remembered. Tears started welling up in his eyes, because the initial feeling was _worse _in this position, with the entire weight of his body pressing him onto Sheik. He was trying to hold it all in; to hide it in the darkness so Sheik would never know, but when Sheik started moving inside him, a sob escaped its way out of his throat.

Silence. Then: "Link, are you alright?" Sheik cupped his hands under Link's bum, preparing to lift him off of his lap, but Link clamped his hands down tight on Sheik's shoulders.

"Sheik, don't you dare move me, or you'll regret it." Link grunted, arching his back to alleviate some of the pressure. "It just takes time. You should know that from last time."

"...Link, you didn't cry last time."

"It didn't hurt this much then!" Link snapped. "Quit worrying about me. I'm not some frail old—."

Something slipped inside of him, and the tip of Sheik's member slid up straight into a spot inside him that flooded him with a sensual, carnal wave of unexpected pleasure. He knew it was supposed to feel like that eventually, but it had taken them longer last time to find it.

Link sucked in air, burying his face in Sheik's shoulder. "Go ahead—slowly."

Sheik started thrusting softly, groaning as the feeling hit him. Link clung to him, riding with him, feeling it all himself. "Go faster." He whispered, licking and sucking on Sheik's collar bone.

It was alright after that. They got there, together, moving against each other with moans and gasps and shaky breathing.

Right at the end, Sheik wrapped his hand around Link, stroking him in time to their rocking bodies. Link could feel it coming on; he was so close. He felt tight, and hot. Sheik seized up, moaning into Link's mouth.

And then it struck both of them. Softer than lightning, but perhaps quicker, and definitely more electrifying. Link sagged onto Sheik's chest, breathing hard and wiping the sweat from his eyes.

"Are you still okay?" Came Sheik's voice. His breathing was heavy as well. He lifted Link, pulling out of him with a kiss to the cheek. He wrapped his arms around Link's upper back, tipping him backward until he felt the blanket on his skin.

Link hissed as soon as his tailbone hit the bed.

"What is it?" Sheik fretted from the darkness. "What is it?" His hands smoothed over Link's shoulders.

"Off—my—back." He grunted out, and Sheik helped to roll him onto his side. The pain in his backside alleviated immediately, though he could still feel a dull throbbing.

He heard the groan in the bed as Sheik lay down in front of him, scooting in until their foreheads brushed. "Does it hurt you so badly?" He whispered, sounding almost fearful.

"No—no." Link swallowed, closing his eyes. He reached a hand into the darkness, coming into contact with something soft and warm, which he assumed was Sheik's waist. He let his hand rest there. "Trust me, when we get there, it's the best feeling in the world. It's just the initial sh-shock, and the... emptiness..."

"Emptiness?" Sheik asked, his voice soft.

"Yeah, it's just like... when you're gone, everything caves in, and it h-hurts. I'm not trying to be poetic or anything, it feels sort of swollen. It doesn't mean I want to stop." He added, becoming fearful that Sheik might abstain from any lovemaking in order to stop hurting him.

Sheik moved closer, burying his nose in Link's shoulder. "We'll have to find a way to make it easier for you."

"Mmm, yeah." Link murmured, closing his eyes. He was so sleepy. He was back where he belonged. Sheik was there, in bed with him. They'd made love. Things would be alright, they would.

* * *

**So, there's my first actually sort of smutty love scene. Don't make fun of me if it's terrible! I'm not quite sure if I'm happy with it yet, might tweak it, but overall I feel okay. This isn't a story where I want to necessarily include super explicit things anyway, though this might have been that, but I felt like getting a _little_ sexy here. It was the big reunion, after all! ;)**

**Luca and Davin might get a little sensual next chapter. I haven't decided yet.**

**Reviews are love! They make an author feel good and they help me get those chapters out faster! Thank you so much, guys! You are all PERFECT!**


	22. Movement

**Yeah, sorry the update took so long, I really am, but I feel better about it because I warned you last time it might be awhile. Thanks for staying interested!**

**And a special thanks to Shadowstalk, the new beta for this story! She's started with chapter one and is working her way up, so even though she hasn't made it to betaing this chapter yet, I felt like I should mention her because she is so very witty and wonderful and is helping me out a ton with all her observations!**

******Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Movement**

_It was a rare day that the sun would burn bright enough to break through the heavy canopy of pine and warm the day to a comfortable temperature this time of year, but it was a special day. _

_ "Jasten, will you please help Haera cut those for the party?" Ahnna shook her hands dry, guiding her middle son over to where their sister stood, chopping potatoes. "Be careful with the knife, Jass. Haera, help him."_

_ "He's chopped potatoes before, mom. I think he'll be fine," Haera answered with a laugh._

_ Their mother returned to the wood stove. "Link, sweetie, I need you to put down that book and do something to help."_

_ Davin sat at the kitchen table and watched his family work around him. He didn't even _want_ a party. He was only turning _thirteen_. It wasn't like that was a big deal or anything, yet here he was, about to be put through what he was convinced would be the most embarrassing day of his life._

_ "Mom," he said for the hundredth time, leaning back in his chair as he watched her bustle around while she fussed over the party preparations. "Do we absolutely _have_ to do this?"_

_ His mother turned around with a heavy sigh, wiping her hands dry on her off-white apron. Her pretty face was drawn and tired, her crystal blue eyes weary as well. "Davin, baby, we did this last year for your sister when she turned thirteen. We can't afford a big party every year for all of you, so we agreed that when each of you hits the teenage years, we'd have an actual birthday party for you. Just so you can get the experience."_

_ "But I don't want a huge party." Davin sunk down further in his chair, his nose now at table-level. "Can't we just eat dinner here? Just the family?"_

_ He could hear his mother's footsteps on the worn wooden floor, and then he felt her hand lightly touch his back. She pressed her lips to the top of his head, rubbing his shoulder in a familiar, motherly way. He closed his eyes. "Are you inviting the entire village?" _

_ "Mom, what should I do?" Davin and his mother looked up. Link had managed to get as far as putting down his book and standing up, but it seemed he had gotten stuck after that._

_ His mother gave Davin a small, sad smile before going over to Link and leading him to the wash bucket where she set him to finishing the dishes. Davin let out a heavy sigh, pulling himself out of his chair and disappearing to his, Jasten's, and Link's bedroom until the time came when he would be forced to come back out for the party._

_ "Davin, what're you doing?" Davin picked his head off of the table, blinking to clear his vision. Luca had plopped down on the bench seat next to him, and was gazing at him with amusement. His hazel eyes were wild and bright. "Were you sleeping?" he whispered. "At your own birthday party? It's not even late." He laughed loudly, and many people nearby turned and looked over in curiosity._

_ "No," Davin protested, looking around in the near-dark as he rubbed his eyes. "I wasn't sleeping."_

_ "Liar." Luca snickered, leaning in closer. Davin swallowed, blinking in surprise. Their faces were only a few inches apart. _

_ "Why haven't I seen you today until now?" Davin blurted, narrowing his eyes. "I was bored."_

_ "Bored? On your birthday?"_

_ Davin shrugged, looking around the yard at all the people milling about. He leaned in close to whisper into Luca's ear. "I don't like _any_ of these people. Seriously, when they first got here, they all wished me happy birthday and stuff, but _none_ of them have said a word to me since. They only came for the free food," he grumbled, pulling away to look at him._

_ Luca laughed loudly again. "So let's get out of here." He offered out his hand. Davin took it to help him stand, but shoved his hands in his pockets as soon as they started walking. He didn't want people staring. Luca turned back and smiled a smile that made his tummy squirm as he led the way out of the yard._

_ Davin's cheeks were burning with embarrassment as they walked to the tiny copse of trees behind their house. He was a little mad too, because he didn't know why he felt so flustered. Luca was a little more than three years older than him: he was _sixteen!_ That was a _big _deal! He should have been hanging around with people his own age; _girls_ his own age, to be specific. There were a few in the village he could have been spending time with who would have been thrilled at the prospect. Davin was only twelve—no, thirteen now—and not that there was much of a social ladder in Ordon Village, but hanging out with him all the time was definitely hurting Luca's image._

_ But they were best friends. They had been for years. They were nigh on inseparable. They—_

_ "Earth to Davin."_

_ "What? Sorry." Davin looked up from the ground, a little confused. They had made it out of the back yard and were standing near one of the pine trees behind his house, out of sight from any partygoers. _

_ "Are you ever in this world, Dav? Ever?"_

_ Davin leaned back against the nearest tree, facing away from his house and the stupid party. "What's so great about this world? In this world I'm forced to have a huge birthday party I don't even want that's costing my family money we don't have." He crossed his arms over his chest haughtily._

_ "Davin, it's just one party. It won't last forever." Luca cocked his head, studying Davin's face as he moved a little closer. "Just pretend like you're having fun. That at least would make your mom happy."_

_ "She wouldn't notice anyways." Davin worked his jaw, glancing around the tree back at the party. Link had folded himself into a corner of a bench, and as usual, his nose was hidden in a book. Their mother was behind him, whispering something into his ear while wearing a tired, concerned expression on her face. "She's too busy trying to get Link to make friends."_

_ Luca shrugged as he leaned his left shoulder against the tree, fencing Davin in against the coarse bark and blocking his view of the goings on. "He'll get there on his own when he's ready. Besides, he's a cool kid. I'd be his friend."_

_ Davin snorted, looking up at him. "He's still nine, Luca."_

_ "Yeah, but his birthday's coming up, isn't it?"_

_ "So he'll still be only ten. You get enough trouble from the older kids as it is for hanging around me all the time."_

_ Luca laughed, his smile lighting up the dark nook behind the tree as well as bit of the melancholy that had presided over the entire day. "Davin, I don't care about that. I _like _you."_

_ "I know—," Davin started, but the words stopped coming to him when Luca leaned in close, his eyes holding Davin's in an intense straight-stare. Davin flattened himself against the tree, his little heart beating faster. "What're you—?"_

_ Luca bent his neck, bringing his face downwards until they were looking at each other from an equal height. Davin thought his heart was going to pound right out of his chest, because they were just staring at each other. And out of nowhere, Luca's eyes started looking a little pretty, and they had never done that before, and they were really_, really _close, and—._

_ Davin's head went haywire when Luca leaned in _evenmore, _and_ wow_, their foreheads were touching. Luca blinked a few times, gauging something in Davin's confused expression before he licked his lips and pressed them against Davin's with a quiet grunt. _

_ Davin could only manage the tiniest of squeaks as Luca's mouth sealed itself over his, warm breath filling up his mouth, making him dizzy as his eyes slinked shut. He felt Luca's hand cupping the back of his neck, his fingertips a little cold against his flushed skin. It felt funny, like they were doing something wrong. If they were caught, the adults would treat it like it was wrong, Davin was pretty sure about that. They would be _really _mad. They might not let Davin and Luca be friends anymore. _

_Luca's hands had left his neck and gone around his waist instead, and... despite all his worries, it felt... really good. But it _was_ something bad, wasn't it? _

_ "Nnn—." Davin pressed his palms flat against Luca's chest, clenching a fistful of his soft, worn shirt and pushing him back with all his might. Which... wasn't much._

_ "What?" Luca pulled back a bit, though he kept his hands on Davin's waist. There was a wild look in his almond eyes._

_ Davin fought to control his ragged breathing, looking away at the ground out of embarrassment. "What are you doing!?" He pushed himself back against the tree even more, trying to create some _space _between them._

_ Luca's eyebrows pulled together with some amusement. "Kissing you."_

_ Davin blinked, looking up at him with so much confusion. "Yeah, I know, but... why?"_

_ Luca rolled his eyes, taking his hands away as he took a couple of steps back, eyeing him dubiously. "Davin, when somebody kisses you, you're not supposed to ask them why they did it."_

_ "Oh." Davin let his eyes fall to the ground. Well, how was he supposed to know? He'd never kissed anybody before, thank you very much! "What am I supposed to do, then?"_

_ He could feel Luca's body press closer again. "You just—you let them kiss you, Dav."_

_ "Oh," Davin repeated, wrinkling his nose as he thought. That logic sounded a little strange to him. What if you didn't want to kiss whoever was kissing you? Were you still supposed to kiss them, even if you didn't want to? We're you supposed to just take it until it was over? But it wasn't like he _didn't_ want Luca to kiss him. He had just... never thought of it before. It was actually kind of... nice. He'd liked it._

_ Luca snorted with disdain, leaning heavily on his back against the tree. They stayed there like that in quiet for a while, side by side. Davin wasn't sure what to look at anymore, he just instinctively knew he wasn't supposed to look at Luca right then. _

_ "You know what, Davin?" Luca said finally, biting his lip. "I—just...happy birthday." He closed his eyes._

_ Davin swallowed roughly, looking at a particularly long blade of grass by his shoe. "Thank you." There was a long, awkward pause between them that seemed to stretch on forever and ever as they both tried hard to look at anything but each other. They weren't touching anymore, and for some reason, Davin didn't like that. "Umm." He cleared his throat quietly, taking a deep breath, mustering all his courage._

_ "'Umm' what?"_

_ Davin looked sideways, studying Luca's profile. "Are you going to do it again?"_

_ His eyes shot open. "I—what? _Should_ I?"_

_ Davin didn't know what this feeling was, he only knew it made him feel both weird and excited. Luca—who was way older than him and unknowingly had all the teenage girls in the entire village pining to go out with him—wanted _him_. It made Davin feel really special that someone so smart and... amazing wanted to kiss _him_ more than anybody else. His heart beat faster at the thought. "Yeah," he whispered back, meeting those hazel eyes. "You should."_

"Are you a million miles away again, Dav?"

The bed squeaked as Luca sat down, unlacing his boots. Davin blinked, almost surprised to find that it was six years later and he was sitting on a bed with that very same man, rather than being pressed up against a tree by him. "Yeah," he murmured quietly, bringing his knees up to his chest and hugging them tightly, holding on to that feeling from all those years ago.

"And what _are_ we thinking about, might I ask?" Luca scooted back, folding his legs.

"Our first kiss."

"Heh," Luca chuckled, lounging on his side, propping his head up with his hand while his other arm draped itself lazily over his stomach. "Were you really?"

Davin allowed himself a small smile. "Yeah. And that stupid party."

"Come on, Dav, it wasn't stupid. People had a good time." Their eyes met. "Didn't you fall asleep in in the middle of it? I remember finding you sleeping or something like that."

"Yes, I did. And you kidnapped me from the party and gave me this little speech about how you were going to be Link's friend, right before you planted one on me."

"Smooth of me," he commented. "And that kid is a ton of fun. I stand by whatever I said."

Davin nodded. "Yeah, and Sheik is nicer that I expected him to be."

"I'm sure he was putting on his friendly face for us all. Probably only Link knows what he's really like, but I'm still looking forward to talking with him. I mean, how often do you get a chance to meet one of Hyrule's most wanted? Especially one of a different race. I've never really had the chance to talk to anyone like that before."

Davin looked at him funny. "You never met any other races when you were living outside of Hyrule?"

Luca's face became guarded, and his mouth drew down into a frown. He shrugged as best as he could while leaning on one arm. "Well, Ayden was a human..."

Davin looked down at the comforter, tracing his finger along a nearby seam without giving thought to what he was doing. "Ayden? The one who...?"

"...Can we not talk about him?" Luca rolled over onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling with hard eyes as he blew his curly bangs off of his forehead. "Please. Just—no."

Davin blinked, swiftly looking away. "Sorry. I'm just... trying to learn about your last four years."

"You don't want to hear about any of that, trust me." Luca's voice came out hard and flat.

Davin bit his lip, a little disconcerted by the way Luca had abruptly shut him out. Was it so wrong to want to know? After he knew, would he wish for the peace and hush of ignorance? "I want to know everything about you. I want to know who hurt you, and the times you were alone, and—."

"Dav."

Davin looked up from his knees. Luca had his eyes shut tight; his usually-dapper face was pinched.

"What?" Davin bit back, becoming defensive. "I _want_ to know."

"Maybe _I_ don't want to tell."

Davin just stared at Luca's long, lithe frame as the silence in the room grew tense. He didn't say anything, nor did Luca. Was he just making things worse by wanting to know? He wasn't sure if he should just leave and forget it all for a while; give Luca a break from him. He straightened his cramped legs, edging off the bed.

As soon as his feet were on the floor, he stood up and took a rushed step towards the door. But he couldn't move. Looking down, he saw a hand clamped firmly around his wrist, tethering him to the bed. "Please don't leave." Another hand wrapped its way around his other wrist. He hadn't heard Luca sit up.

"I'm just trying to give you space," Davin said into the empty part of the room, hanging his head.

"I've had enough space. Seriously, I am so _done_ with people giving me space. Am I some sort of ticking time bomb or something? _Why_ are people _always_ trying to give me space?!"

Davin turned around as best he could, his eyebrows pulling together in confusion as he stared at Luca's slumped form sitting on the bed. "What are you talking about?" Luca's face was all anger and hurt. Davin had never seen that look on him before. It was new, and a bit frightening. It broke his heart.

Luca pulled Davin closer, turning him around so that he was standing between his open legs. No longer holding Davin's wrists, his hands firmly grasped his hips instead. "Don't leave," he repeated, his hold tightening. "Nothing ever gets solved if the other person just _leaves_."

"Then what do you want me to do?" Davin whispered, letting the silence in the room proceeding his question wash over him like a cold rain. He felt trapped: caught between a rock and a hard place, both being different forms of Luca's anger.

"Sit. Please," he finally spoke.

Davin sat on the bed next to Luca, whose head was hanging in his hands. "I don't know what to do," he voiced again, staring at Luca's lap. He didn't have a clue as to what would remedy the situation. "Would you like to know what I've done? Would that make it easier?"

"Sure," Luca said in an even tone.

Good. Maybe this would get them somewhere. "Once you left, I started spending some time with other kids my own age. They all treated me kind of weird at first, because I'd been hanging out with an eighteen year old, but eventually we all got along. Mostly I went off to places on my own to think, or played swords with Jasten. Haera taught me how to weave, little things like that."

"You're telling me about—."

"You were older and went away! Of course your life was more interesting and dramatic than mine," Davin interrupted, defenses rising. "I spent my entire life in a tiny village with the same people until about a year ago. The only other thing I ever did to break the mold was date a girl, and that certainly didn't go very well! All we ever did was kiss, and she told me what to do a lot. But every time I asked her if she wanted to spend time with me, she said no. It was all on her terms, even though she didn't even care about me. She didn't like me. She didn't want to talk to me. You went on, met new people, saw new things... I can't hold a candle to any of that! So what do you expect me to say when I tell you about my life? Because it hasn't been up to standard with what the world would call _worthwhile_!"

"The rest of the world isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Davin shook his head, fighting the feeling of depression that was threatening to overtake him. "You know, you really don't need to tell me anything. I just don't want your past hanging between us like it has been!"

"Has it been?"

"It just did." Davin pulled his legs up under him, staring off at the wooden planks in the floor. "I almost just left because I thought you were mad at me!"

There was a huge, angry sigh from Luca's direction. Davin did his best to ignore it as he stared ahead blankly and forced himself not to cry. That whole day had become a huge mess. So much for meeting again after four years and picking up on the childhood sweetheart thing. That seemed like some sort of cruel joke now, like the goddesses had brought them back together after all these years only to—.

Davin felt a gentle squeeze on his shoulder. He bit his lower lip with unease, wiping at his eyes. He sighed. "I don't think we—."

"Hey." Davin looked up, cocking his head. Luca was giving him these... dark, smoldering bedroom eyes that... while stirring, had come completely out of nowhere. For the sake of the goddesses, hadn't they just been fighting? And now, out of the blue, forget their fight and saying what mattered, because it was suddenly time to jump under the sheets? What was this, an act just to—?

_Oh, _yes. Yes. Those eyes were an excuse. They were a defense mechanism.

Desire and suggestiveness painted in his eyes, Luca climbed over the bed, pressing Davin flat against the mattress even as he struggled to stay sitting.

They just sort of stared at each other once Luca had him on his back, legs parted to make room for his obtrusive body. Davin suspected that he was acting aroused as a distraction. He was using his charm and handsome features to turn the conversation to something he knew how to deal with now: sex. Was that really who Luca had become? Was that what Davin had become to Luca? Someone who needed to be shut up with a dick in his mouth to keep him from being too much of a _bother_?

"I'm not sleeping with you while you're like this," Davin said flatly. "Sort it out. I'll be in a bunk bed down the hall if you need me." He started to sit up.

"No." Luca pressed his hands flat against Davin's chest, pushing him back down forcefully. His suggestive mask was gone, stripped from his face, leaving behind only surprise and a little bit of annoyance. He seemed taken aback at Davin's rejection. Apparently, Davin had been the first to say no to him like that. Well how about that?

"Well I'm _not_ going to." Davin narrowed his eyes. "And I don't want you doing that to me!"

"What am I even _doing_?"

"You're trying to distract me from asking questions by _bedding_ me down! You think having sex is going to make me not want to know what happened to you? Yeah, sure, maybe for an hour or two, but isn't it a good thing that I careenough to ask at all? Do you think that if I didn't love you I'd still be trying to find out who or what changed you this much? We played fairy-tale on the road down here, but we just can't do that anymore! The Luca I used to know wouldn't have done something like this! I'm not another one of those guys that you need to shut away to protect yourself because you were afraid they'd leave you if you let them in!"

"Why are you yelling at me?" Luca's eyes became dark as he sat back between Davin's legs, giving Davin the room to sit up and face him.

"Because I've never felt _less_ like being intimate with someone! And either you can't tell or you just don't _care_!" Davin took a deep breath, shaking his head while he tried to reign in his temper. "I'm trying to know more about you, and you—you..." They glared at each other for a long moment. "Luca, you don't have to be _defensive_ around me! I'm not out to hurt you or use you. I _love_ you."

"_How_ am I being defensive?"

Davin rolled his eyes. "Did I not _just_ explain that? I can see why you might think... but I'm not... What _happened_?"

"I..." Luca's eyes crinkled up, making him look just... pitiful. Like a sad little puppy. "I'm so _sorry_. I didn't realize. When the yelling started, I just... My mind went to a different place. I know you want to know because..."

"Because I care about you," Davin supplied. "A lot. More than any guy you've ever known, or—or been with. _I_ love you," he repeated, thinking that maybe the more times he said it, the more likely it was that Luca would _realize_ it again.

"I didn't mean to do it," Luca said glumly. "I mean, I knew I was doing it, but you don't deserve that kind of treatment. I freaked out, I'm sorry." He reached up, stroking his fingers along Davin's jaw. "Please forgive me?"

Davin thought about it for a moment before he stretched up, kissing the tip of his nose. "Yes."

"I love you too," Luca breathed, sounding relieved. "Dav, you know the reason I don't want to tell you about those four years is because I'm not proud of any of them."

"I don't want it to hurt you anymore."

"What if you don't... want me... after you know?"

"Okay, see, this is why you need to tell me. Because _you_ need to know that I won't leave you over what you say. You _left_ that life. Whatever that life was and whatever you did, you left it. Whether it was after that Ayden guy or after you found Link, I don't care. The point is it's over, and nothing else matters."

Luca really studied him then, searching deep in his eyes for any sign that he wasn't telling the truth. After a minute, he seemed to decide it was okay. "My parents," he began. "They just couldn't afford to support me in the new town we moved to. I was an adult, so it's not like I was their responsibility anymore. So I left on my own, because I knew they never would have asked me to. I couldn't stand to see them struggle because of me, so I just… went."

"You just... left home?" Davin asked, eyes growing wide. "You didn't tell them? Why didn't you come back to Ordon?"

"Come back and what? Beg for someone to take me in? A charity case that couldn't even… no!" Luca spat, his eyes dangerous and dark. "I had to make it on my own, and I went about doing that in some... really bad ways." He closed his eyes. "I searched for work for months, but no one would take me. After a while, I just sort of gave up. I'm... ashamed of some of the stuff I got up to, Dav. Because at first... it wasn't me having these stupid, short little relationships that never lasted. It was about trying to _survive_ and k-keep food in my stomach and have somewhere warm to sleep at night. When things got better to the point where I didn't have to do that anymore, I tried to meet people. But... the relationships just... never worked. It's like they all _knew_ I was a _whore_!" he spat bitterly, staring angrily at his lap

Oh—_wow_. Luca had... was... Davin's heart beat rapidly. It was a surprise, yes, but… he still _knew_ that it just didn't matter anymore. Luca was _his_ now. Forget anyone who said the two of them couldn't rewrite history.

He placed his hand on Luca's leg. "That's _not_ who you are, and you _don't_ have to do that anymore," Davin reminded him. "You're strong, and kind, and so smart. _None_ of those people can touch who you are now." He gave a sad little smile, looking off at the blanket. "There's pain in my past too, Luca. We'll be there for each other, I promise."

Light fingers on his chin pulled his gaze back to the man sitting before him. "There will be a day when I tell you everything. I know there has to be, I've known that since that first night back in Castle Town. But I can't yet. I—I don't have the confidence. But some day, someday soon, I hope... Everything," he vowed.

"I've got time, sweetheart." Davin smiled lovingly, letting himself fall back onto his elbows.

"Oh goddesses," Luca collapsed on top of him, pressing him back to the mattress, burying his face in the crook of his neck. "Never stop calling me that. Seriously, I can't get over how _nice_ you are to me."

"Why would—?" Davin started to ask, but he caught himself. It wouldn't have been right to seek that now. His hand came up to stroke the curls on the back of Luca's head. "In time, like you said. When you're ready, because we're both in this for the long run," he vowed. "And _now_ would be a good time to kiss me," he whispered into the air. "If you want to."

Luca lifted his head back up, gazing down at Davin with lust in his eyes. Lust and wanting that was _pure _this time. There were no other agendas hidden there now; just what he felt for Davin. "I want to," he whispered, planting his lips against Davin's neck with a quiet moan. "Goddesses, I want to," he whispered against flushed skin.

Davin gasped, letting his head loll off to the side as his back arched against the bed. He couldn't help it, his body felt hot. Luca's mouth chased after him, and they kissed each other heavily, tongues fighting and swirling. Davin had a very vivid flashback to that summery day when Luca had told him he was leaving the village. There had been crying, and sad words, and then an episode of clamorous lovemaking up against the wall of the barn that had Davin's toes curling just thinking on it.

"You're responding nicely," Luca murmured against his lips, hands tightening on his waist. "Hmm, _very_ nicely," he hummed.

"Move," Davin hissed quietly, wiggling out of his shirt as soon as Luca gave him enough room. He started to work at the buttons on Luca's, only to stop when he heard a soft laughter. "What?" He looked up curiously.

"You," Luca murmured, punctuating the word with a kiss on Davin's forehead. "You're so handsome, and..." He ducked his head, hiding a grin. "Absolutely wonderful."

"And you're getting all mushy right in the middle of our foreplay, dummy." Davin shot back, still working at the buttons, helping Luca slide out of the garment when it came loose.

Luca sat back, still hiding that insanely large grin as he worked at the clasp on Davin's pants. "I'd say this is the perfect time to be mushy," he argued.

Davin lifted his butt off the bed to make it easier for Luca to slide the rest of his clothes off of him. The air was refreshing against his blushing skin. Luca's eyes slid all the way up his body, causing a fierce heat to rise in Davin's cheeks. Finally, he locked his pretty hazel eyes on Davin's. "I missed you... so damn much. Thank you."

What was he thanking him for? Davin raised an eyebrow, smirking. "We could never seem to find much time to get away and do this before, could we?" His hands slid down Luca's belly, halting in their path when the muscles underneath the soft skin he was touching quivered. His fingers traced further downwards, slipping in underneath the waistline of Luca's trousers.

Luca sucked in a deep breath, thrusting—so slowly it was hardly a thrust at all—his hips forward, burying Davin's fingers further beneath the hem of fabric. Davin hissed as Luca's body slid over his from above, the fabric of his pants creating friction where it mattered. He slid the hand that was buried beneath the rough fabric and soft skin around to cup one of the rounded cheeks of his buttocks, squeezing gently. Luca—strong, tall Luca—squeaked quietly at the feeling, putting his own hands to work in ridding himself of the garment that had now become a hindrance.

Davin ran his other hand up and down Luca's smooth chest, humming softly to himself. When Luca had kicked the pants off to the ground, he fell onto Davin, sliding their bodies together with a familiar but long-forgotten effect. Davin's back arched against the mattress once again as the pleasure overtook him. His legs curled up, wrapping tightly around Luca's waist, anchoring them together.

"Oh—damn it, hold on." Luca cursed, leaning over the edge of the bed, fishing in his pack on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Davin breathed, using the break to wipe the dark, sweaty bangs from his eyes.

"I remember having some oil somewhere in here," Luca's voice was strained as he leaned as far over the edge of the bed as he dared without taking Davin down there with him. "I used it for cooking over the fire, but it'll work for this." Davin waited patiently for Luca to come back up, letting his eyes roam over his back, down to the swell of his buttocks, right below where his legs were hooked. "Found it." Luca came back up, straightening himself over Davin as he popped the lid off.

Davin's eyebrows came together. "Is that safe?"

"Yeah, way safer than using nothing at all. It's no different from what we used in the past."

"I never saw what you used before. You never showed it to me, you just _used_ it."

"Maybe that's the secret to all this, then." Luca smiled kindly.

Davin took a deep breath. He was beginning to feel anxious. "Luca... it's been _years_ for me. It might as well be the first time all over again."

"That really didn't go so bad, though. I _promise_ I'll be gentle. We'll go slow, and you tell me _everything_ that's happening with you, alright?"

Davin wrinkled his nose, but gave his consent for Luca to use the oil on him. The... application of it was... colder than he had anticipated or remembered. He was clenching around Luca's fingers without even realizing it.

"Are you sure you're alright?" came his voice.

"Mmhm."

It certainly didn't take away all of the burn, but it definitely took away enough of it to give pleasure the clear advantage. The times that Davin had thought about Luca alone in his room, well, his mind had clearly been addled by _something, _because he hadn't remembered it like _this_. Once he allowed himself to relax, they were able to go a little bit faster, Luca reaching deep inside him, eliciting deep, guttural moans from the both of them. In his frazzled state, Davin briefly wondered whether they could be heard outside the four walls of the room. They buried their mouths in each other's skin, but when teeth and tongues started playing a role, it did little to mute them.

It wasn't perfect; it was rocky, and confusing at first, but like Luca had promised, they went slow, and communicated with each other. So, all in all, it was the best thing Davin could ever remember feeling.

Afterwards, they unwound from each other and used an old discarded shirt to clean themselves up. Davin couldn't remember ever feeling so sleepy.

"Did it feel that good when we were kids?" Luca whispered into Davin's hair as they lay there, chest to back. "Are you okay? Sore at all?"

"Not a lot," Davin purred through his exhaustion. "We did pretty good."

A light chuckle made Luca's body shake around Davin's. "We did _great_."

* * *

Fen glanced over at Osidian-_n__ä__ba_ in his high-backed chair in the center of the tent. The clan chief was frowning deeply, lines creasing all over his face, making him look so much older than he really was. Forren-_n__ä__ba_ and Kyla-_n__ä__ba, _two clan chiefs from neighboring villages stood near his chair. Each of the three clan chiefs were representing three different clans, because not all nine desert chiefs could be there that night, for many different reasons. Mostly because news of the massacre in Termina was fairly new, and many families were grieving for lost loved ones. All three chiefs were speaking in hushed tones and harsh whispers, eyes darting around them.

Fen shifted his weight to his other foot and crossed his arms. He was growing impatient at the same rate that the night air inside the tent was growing cool. The Sheikahn words and syllables of the three chiefs filled the tent with a noisy but familiar clatter. Fen just wished this whole mess would be decided soon. He was worried for the fate of his people.

Many of the advisors and chiefs across the desert had known of the rebel army building in the south, but until now it had been a taboo subject among his people. Some wanted to join them; others wished to ignore their existence completely. Ever since word had reached the desert tribes of the massacre of the rebels by the Hylians' hands, debates had raged through the camps, arguing what the best measure to take in the aftermath of this tragedy was.

Everyone knew there had been families there, as well as warriors. From what they'd all heard, it hadn't been a battle, it had been a slaughtering.

"Fen-_l__í__ta_, come here." Osidian-_n__ä__ba_ waved him over.

Fen walked over quickly, looking at him expectantly. "Yes, my chief?"

"I value your opinion, Fen," Osidian replied simply, looking up at him with tired eyes.

"Then I shall give it," Fen promised.

"Hyrule is weakened by its soldiers' absence. A good portion of them are still in Termina. And the Terminans, as you know, are preparing to drive them out of their country."

Fen nodded. Despite the fact that they were a race that was bound in servitude, they still had their spies in all the necessary places.

"Hyrule is weakened," Osidian repeated, tracing his thumb along his own jaw line. "Now would be the optimal time to win back our freedom. Divided as the Hylians are, they cannot hold out with Termina assaulting them from one side and us from the other. They will fall."

"I believe that to be true," Fen inclined his head, eyes on the canvas floor of the tent.

"Do you believe we should rally our warriors?"

Fen could feel the eyes of Forren and Kyla on him. "Osidian-_n__ä__ba_, what of our people who are currently in service to Hyrule? How will we keep them from being executed when the Hylians learn of our mutiny?"

"If we send new recruits out to where all the Sheikah-servants are, surely they could spread the word quickly?" Kyla-_n__ä__ba_ said, casting a glance on Osidian. "We could send ten, fifteen out of the desert. That would be enough to spread the word, and then those in servitude would be safe, and we would have more of our fighters on the inside.

The mention of the Sheikah-servants in Hyrule brought Sheik to Fen's mind. He still didn't know where his _fateson_ was, but he remembered well the day that the clan had heard of his escape. There had been celebration that night, livelier than they'd had in a very long time.

"My lord, that could work." Fen looked up from the ground. "It would not take much longer than a week to instate them."

Osidian nodded, tapping his tented fingers against his lip. "Yes, and meanwhile our fighters here could prepare for the journey into Termina."

"We should send word to the Terminans of our intent to cross their border," Forren suggested. "That way they will be expecting us, and their swords and spears would remain trained on the Hylians. We could be allies in our efforts against Hyrule."

"Yes," Kyla agreed, nodding. "Yes, I can send riders to the other desert tribes to tell them all of our decision." Kyla_-näba_ was chief of the horse-training tribe of Sheikah. The horses that were reared out of that clan were sought after from all over Hyrule. They were the fastest; they could carry the message well in time.

"Who will stay behind to protect the children and women who cannot fight?" Fen asked. It was important to him. His _nal__í_, Betali, was four months with child, and she could not fight. It was important to know someone he trusted would be left behind to ensure her and the others' safety.

"Warriors will be chosen for each task accordingly," Osidian assured him. "But you, Fen. I need you to lead our clan's warriors into Termina."

Fen nodded. It was not his place to question where he was sent in duty to his people. Betali-_nal__í_ would be cared for, as well as their unborn child.

"So it is decided," Forren-_näba_ asserted. "We will be marching on the Hylians in Termina."

"Yes," Osidian agreed. "Though not all of Hyrule's soldiers are in Termina. We should leave some of our fighters behind to guard our backs."

"The Terminans will bite off their head, and we will bite off their tail," Kyla said darkly.

"It is about time for a change," Osidian agreed. "They killed our men, our women, and our children in Termina. We have been their slaves for too long. It is time."

* * *

It had been so very cold these past two days that the funny-eyed woman hadn't been there. He hadn't been hungry, because she'd left him a pack of food and he wasn't really hungry much anymore, but the cold was getting to be so freezing it hurt. His shoulders shook as he huddled under the scratchy blanket she'd given him. And as he'd sat there, day turned into night and back into day again.

He was unsure whether he should go back to camp or not and see if his mama was still there. After all those funny-eyed people had come, and everyone started running around and fighting, his mama had hidden him under some roots that made a little house under a tree outside of their tent, and then she'd ran off.

After all the yelling had stopped, he'd waited for hours and hours. And he hadn't opened his eyes, because even though nobody was yelling, he still heard people talking and moving. He'd pretended he was sleeping, tucked away in the little hiding hole his mama had showed him. The funny-eyed lady had come and found him and carried him away after a while. He hadn't understood, though, and he still didn't, because... everyone was gone, and the air had smelled funny and choky that day. Where was everybody? He remembered coughing, and wondering where his mama and daddy were, and where was this lady taking him, anyways? Where was everybody? Where was Antony-_näba?_ Shouldn't he be doing something about that funny, choky, burn-y smell? It was like something really bad-smelling was on fire. It made his throat burn.

As he sat there, he couldn't help but wonder why all the tents suddenly had red stuff on them when the funny-eyed woman was carrying him away. There was red stuff on the tan canvas tents. Where was everybody?

The funny-eyed lady had stayed with him a long time, but a couple of days ago, she'd left. She'd told him a lot of stuff, but he hadn't understood what she was saying. She spoke in a really weird way. He had just thought she didn't know how to talk, because the sounds that came out of her mouth were rough and short and flat. Not pretty like his mama always spoke to him. He missed his mama...

The funny-eyed woman had left, and she'd given him a blanket and a pack full of food, and she'd kissed his head. He wanted to go look for his family, but he was afraid to move. He didn't understand what was going on. Things had been normal forever, and he missed them being normal. It was boring staying there all by himself. Back when it was normal, he'd gone to the school-tent with a lot of other kids and learned all kinds of stuff, and then he would play games with his daddy and his mama would sing him to sleep every night. And now everyone was just... gone. It didn't make sense. He wanted his mama and daddy so bad it hurt his tummy. That's why he wasn't hungry. He just didn't understand.

"Galah," he whispered into the cool dusk that had fallen. "Nota aquin hai." His body felt like it needed to cry, but he didn't know if he could. It felt like his body had run dry.

* * *

Sheik was fairly surprised when he and Link were the first of them all to come downstairs the next morning. Aside from Anju and Kafei, the inn was quiet and full of sleeping bodies.

He kept his hand low on Link's back, supporting him as gently as he could as the boy limped along beside him. Sheik admitted to himself that he felt guilty for Link's discomfort. He didn't know what to do to make it better for him. The boy had cried last night... because of Sheik. When that sob had burst from his mouth and into the darkness, Sheik had felt his heart clench. They loved each other, they were supposed to be kissing and holding and making love, so why in the name of the goddesses did it have to hurt him so much? It didn't make sense.

They made their way—slowly but surely—to the small, sparsely furnished kitchen at the back of the inn, where Anju was bustling about with breakfast.

"Morning, boys." She smiled up at them as they entered the room, wiping her hands with the small, white apron tied around her long blue skirt. Sheik pulled a chair out from the large table in the room for Link, who sat down gingerly. Sheik kissed the top of his head, pressing his lips into all that soft honey hair as he passed by on his way to his own chair.

"Seep well?" Kafei asked, walking into the room and planting a kiss on Anju's temple. "Smells great, _Anju,_" he murmured.

"Very well," Sheik answered, smiling gratefully when Anju came forward and placed a mug of coffee before him, a morning habit that had become tradition over the past month of his staying there. Now, he wasn't particularly fond of the taste of the acrid drink, but he knew the bitter stuff would give him energy, so he brought it to his lips and took a sip.

Anju looked across the table at Link, who had been watching Sheik with ghostly wide eyes. "Link, I'm afraid I don't know if you like coffee?" She asked it as sort of a question, even though it wasn't phrased as one.

"No thank you," he murmured, looking away at the table.

"You boys hungry?" Kafei asked from the counter.

"Famished." Sheik took another sip of his bitter wormwood coffee. Anju went over to the wood stove beside Kafei. When she came back, she had plates filled with eggs and bacon; too much, really. Sheik laughed to himself, shaking his head. "Kafei, you run a small inn, I still can't figure out how you manage to eat so well here."

Kafei laughed, leaning back against the counter as he nursed his own cup of coffee. "That's a stupid question, Sheik, I'm surprised. I'm the Mayor's long-lost son, remember?" He sported a huge, mocking grin as his ruby eyes flashed with mischief.

Link laughed from where he sat, filling the room with his light voice. Sheik whirled around in his chair, studying the smiling boy with a wicked grin. "_Nal__í__,_ I do believe you're supposed to be on _my_ side here."

"Yeah, and I am," Link giggled. "But I mean, he's got you there." Kafei chuckled into his mug, and even Anju joined in, creating quite a lively breakfast atmosphere.

"I've missed something hilarious, haven't I?" Luca—Davin's... friend—stood near the entry to the kitchen, looking freshly-washed, hands buried in his pockets. No one answered at first; it seemed as if everyone was in a state of shock at the interruption.

Link was the first to welcome him into the room, offering him a warm, inviting smile. "Good morning, Luca. Sheik was just making an ass out of himself."

Anju came forward, mug of coffee and plate of food balanced in both of her hands. "Sit down, Lucas, please." She set the food in the spot across from Link. Luca walked over tentatively, settling his tall frame down into the wooden chair.

"Thank you, really." He went straight for the coffee, inhaling the scent of the murky black liquid. "It's been ages since I've had coffee, I really appreciate it."

"Oh, it's our pleasure," Anju assured him.

"Our boring old tea not good enough for you?" Link stuck out his tongue at Luca, snickering when Luca pulled on a look of faux indignation.

The guy looked over at Sheik from across the table. "He's a wild one, Sheik," he murmured. "I have no idea how you tamed him, but _bravo_, because you've done it."

Sheik raised an eyebrow, thoroughly amused—though he'd never admit it—that Luca seemed to be just as familiar with sarcasm as he was. "Shut up," Link pouted, burying himself in his food. Distracted, Sheik looked on at him lovingly, remembering back to more than a month ago when Link had been lying in the bed upstairs, recovering from the beating he'd taken in the street. _"You're always hungry,"_ Sheik had teased. He stood by that statement. He still wasn't sure where Link was storing it all.

Sheik didn't think it was all that early; but apparently that consensus wasn't shared, because they all sat there eating for almost half an hour and no one else came down the stairs.

"Everybody's tired from the journey down here," Link explained. "You can't blame them for sleeping in. I'd be sleeping in myself if Sheik didn't always rise a few hours after dawn. My feet feel like they're about to fall off, actually." He braced his hands on the table, pushing himself up. "I'll be back soon." He leaned over, kissing Sheik's temple lightly with warm lips. "Nature calls." He gimped out of the room, straight-backed as he tried his hardest to hide the distinctive limp in his step.

As soon as Link had disappeared around the corner, Sheik heard a quiet chuckle from across the table. Luca was laughing softly into his cup of coffee, shaking his head as he took a sip.

"Something funny?" Sheik arched an eyebrow, laying both his palms flat on the table.

Luca scratched the back of his neck, sporting a goofy, lopsided grin. "Yeah, actually. You and the little guy, you're just..." He broke off laughing, shaking his head as he took another drink.

Sheik's brow immediately drew down over his eyes. His initial impression of Luca had been fairly positive so far; however, that opinion was _indeed_ subject to change. "Link and I are humorous to you?"

Luca nearly spit out his coffee. "See, the fact that you just said 'humorous' makes everything so much funnier."

Sheik's eyes darkened. "_Everything_?"

Luca set down his mug, sizing Sheik up. "Well," he began, "Let me see if I can explain it in a way that makes sense." He paused, collecting himself. "I just saw a little boy that I grew up with walk out of here with a _very_ distinct limp in his step that no doubt came from certain activities I'm pretty certain you two were getting up to last night," he snickered, wiggling his eyebrows. "I just find that a little funny."

"This isn't fair." Sheik frowned, crossing his arms, his lip pulling up into a sneer. "Davin isn't awake yet."

Luca almost immediately hid his expression behind his mug. "What difference would he make?"

"I'm not stupid, _Lucas_." Sheik's mouth pulled up into a devilish grin. "From what Link's told me, you travelled to Castle Town and met his brother—your former lover—for the first time in years." He leaned back, tenting his fingers against his lips. "Surely quarters were a bit... cramped? After all, Link's seems a large family to house. There must have been no privacy." He shook his head slowly, never letting his eyes stray from Luca's. "Tragic. Terrible. You must have found it so _frustrating_. It must have been so nice to finally get some time to yourselves. But I can't help but wonder how you spent said time?"

"Okay, stop," Luca deadpanned.

"I just can't wait until Davin's up." Sheik smiled sweetly. "I'm so eager to talk to him. I really think I'll find his presence here just as _humorous_ as you found Link's."

"You're real interesting, Sheik," Luca murmured, propping his chin up on his hand as he gazed at him from across the table. "Know that I wasn't trying to offend you. I know I get a little too ornery sometimes, but I've never actually spoken to a Sheikah before. Are all of your people this devious?"

"When we have to be," Sheik replied, meeting his gaze evenly. "Though I'm probably not the best representation of the Sheikah for you to be basing your inquiries on."

"And why is that?" Luca cocked his head.

"Well, look at what I'm doing right now," Sheik muttered, letting his eyes fall onto the worn wooden grain of the table. Staring at the whorls and patterns in the wood reminded him of the large family tables in his village, where they ate meals together. "I'm sitting at a table in Termina, having breakfast with Hylians." He glanced off at the opposite wall. Kafei had left a few minutes ago to run some sort of errand, and Anju had gone to sit at the front counter. "That in itself is a bit odd, I'll admit. I'm supposed to be in Hyrule Castle right now. I abandoned my duty, and that is another thing that separates me from my race."

"I must admit that I was surprised when Link told me that he had the infamous Sheikah who had escaped from the Princess Zelda's service waiting for him in Termina."

"I didn't have any choice," Sheik said adamantly.

"Yeah, I'm sure they would have found you had you come along with him. I'll be honest and say I'm glad you didn't. You never would have let me tag along, and then I never would have seen Davin again."

"Would you still be in Castle Town by now?" Sheik asked.

"Yeah, probably doing something I'd regret." A shadow fell over Luca's face, and his hazel eyes were hidden by his curling bangs as he hung his head.

Sheik didn't understand what Luca meant by that, but whatever it was was obviously upsetting him. It was sucking all the happiness from the room. He needed distracting. "Honestly, before I left the desert I wasn't entirely sure what to make of Hylians. The only ones I'd ever met were Link and his family."

"As far as I see it, we're as big of asses as any other race, when it comes down to it. Anyone has the capability of being an idiot no matter what they're born as. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that."

"Hmm," Sheik agreed. "I never knew any better. I grew up immersed in my own culture with no outside influences. Completely isolated."

"Then you must be an excellent fighter."

"Yes," Sheik spoke softly. "I can fight."

"I've seen it." Sheik and Luca both looked up to see Link standing with Davin in the hallway. "He really can, it's incredible." Link left Davin, walking over to Sheik and standing beside him, looking down at him with a bemused expression. They stared at each other for a moment before Link sat back down in his own chair.

Davin walked over to the chair beside Luca, Sheik watching him very closely all the while. He wasn't even limping! How was that possible? Had Sheik been wrong? Luca caught him looking and smirked, obviously pleased with Sheik's baffled surprise.

"Good morning, Dav," Luca purred, pulling Davin close as he sat, planting a kiss on the side of his head.

Davin gave him a funny look, leaning in and picking at the leftovers on Luca's plate. "Morning," he replied, chewing.

"Did you sleep well?" Luca leaned on his elbow, watching Davin with undivided attention. Seeing them together was a bit amusing. From what little he'd seen and what little Link had told him, Davin had always seemed... standoffish to Sheik. Luca was proving to be the exact opposite. He was outgoing, friendly, and he liked to tease.

"Uh, yeah..." Davin's nose wrinkled. He turned away finally, smiling meekly at Link and Sheik. Sheik met his gaze curiously, seeing a bit of Link's kindness within Davin's diffident emerald eyes. "What're you guys planning on doing today?"

Link shrugged, leaning back casually in his chair. As soon as he hit the back rest, he visibly winced and popped straight forward again faster than a leever pops out of the sand. Everyone looked at him in alarm. "I don't know," he said through clenched teeth. "Sheik?"

Sheik wasn't surprised that the decision had fallen to him. "I imagine we'll have a look at the town, start making preparations to leave, that sort of thing."

"Leave where?" Luca asked curiously.

"South," Sheik answered without hesitation. "It's important that I not spend much more time in Termina." Sheik shared a meaningful look with Link.

"Why?" Davin asked.

"There are Hylian soldiers here, combing the country looking for a rebel Sheikah army that's rumored to be camped southwest of here. Link told you, didn't he?"

"He told us the Sheikah army was coming to Hyrule." Davin said quietly, brow pulling together in confusion.

"They were. Things have changed. I imagine they've gone into hiding."

"The Hylian soldiers we saw on the way to Castle Town," Link whispered, looking meaningfully at Luca. The older man nodded, playing with his bottom lip as he thought.

"We should go out now," Sheik suggested, looking at Link. "No point in waiting, really." Sheik still wasn't exactly sure where he stood with Jasten and Brock.

"I think that's a good idea," Link agreed, standing up. "I'm going to run upstairs and grab our coats. It's been getting cold out lately. Something tells me this winter will be a hard one."

"Do you mind if we tag along?" Luca stood up as well.

"Certainly," Sheik murmured. He was curious about the pair of them, anyways.

"Jacket, Dav?" Luca paused in the kitchen entry, looking back at the introverted boy with something... something like adoration.

"Please," Davin murmured without looking up, oblivious to the look of complete reverence his partner was giving him.

When Luca finally turned to head up the stairs, Sheik was left sitting at the table with only Davin. This... this was new. He had never been alone with a direct member of Link's family before. He found himself at a loss for words, something that happened very rarely in his life. After all, what did they all really think of their Link falling in love with a Sheikah?

"I know that Link is in love with you," Davin murmured uncomfortably, mildly startling Sheik with his directness. After all, he had just been thinking along similar lines. For as shy of a person as Davin seemed, he apparently wasn't one to beat around the bush. "That's pretty clear to me." Sheik waited for him to say more. Eventually, after a long pause, he did. "I know you two have done stuff together and ... and you care for him too, right? Because... well, I know you do, but he's ready to throw himself over a cliff for you, and I mean—."

"I love Link very much," Sheik assured him, smiling at Davin's display of brotherly love. He hadn't thought Link and his brother were all that close. They looked at each other thoughtfully for a long while until Davin got uncomfortable and broke his eyes away.

"Are you two ready?" Link's voice came from the front entry. Sheik and Davin rose and made their way to the front desk, where Link handed Sheik his jacket. Luca made a display of holding Davin's out for him.

Clock Town was bustling—if you could call a town with such a small population 'bustling'—but every single buyer and seller that lived there was out and about, crowding the market stair.

Sheik took Link and split apart from Luca and Davin after the appropriate amount of time required to appear polite. When Sheik glanced back over his shoulder at them, they were meandering about, looking at everything, Luca never venturing more than a few feet from the younger man. They were taking their day slow, which was good and fine and all, but Sheik and Link had things to do.

"We need to buy supplies," Sheik explained after they'd been walking alone for a while. "Whatever you can think of that we may need for a long time on the road."

Link's brow scrunched up. "Uh... food, water, blankets... And you still have your bow and knives, so we don't need uh, weapons."

"Your horse can graze, so we don't have to carry her food around with us," Sheik replied. "Will you be alright, leaving your family again?"

Link grimaced. "It felt good... to have them close again, even if my father..."

Sheik's mind drifted as Link spoke. The people all around them were a fair bit distracting. _Wait, is that Duncan down there? I thought he was still asleep. He—_.

"Link!" Sheik hissed, grabbing the boy's wrist in a death-tight grip while simultaneously putting his body on high-alert. He pulled him into the shadows, pushing him up against the wall. All the other people who had been walking near or around them stared at them momentarily with expressions ranging from confusion to annoyance. Sheik cursed himself for not sustaining normalcy when he'd spotted her.

But to Sheik's relief, Link remained quite calm.

"Sheik, what are you doing?" He said in a hushed whisper. Perhaps, after all the time they had spent together, Sheik's cautiousness was beginning to rub off on him.

Sheik reclined casually against the wall next to Link as the crowd around them started moving again. His flinty eyes watched them all for a moment before flashing across and down the stair to somewhere specific. Link followed his gaze, and when he heard the boy gasp, he bit his lip.

Down the stair a bit, talking against a wall, much as the two of them were, was Duncan and a woman. This woman had dark, cropped hair that was so short it revealed the tips of her pointed ears. The fact that she was Hylian wasn't much of a shock to Sheik. What had made him react the way he did was that this woman was wearing over her normal clothes: the unmistakable crimson jerkin of a Hylian soldier.

"Wait..." Link whispered. "She's not wearing a full uniform. How do we know she's actually a soldier?"

"Either way, we're steering clear of her," Sheik hissed back. He thought the woman—even from a distance—looked a bit gaunt, like she had been going a week without much food. "We'll catch Duncan on his own once they part and get it out of him. Come on, let's get out of here."

Sheik and Link had searched for Duncan in the town for nearly an hour after he and the woman had parted ways. But they'd found no trace of the mysterious, illusive earl, so instead they had restocked on supplies and returned to the inn.

"This still isn't resting well with me," Link muttered as they set their supplies by the foot of the stairs and rounded the corner towards the kitchen.

Sheik's hand brushed against the back of Link's, the touch only very slight. But Link held onto Sheik's hand like a lifeline. "I know, _nal__í_," he agreed. "I've no idea how Duncan's been able to avoid us for this long, but he's got to come back here at some point, so—." Sheik's tongue nearly flew down the back of his throat when they entered the kitchen. Seated at the table, by himself, sat Brock.

"Hello, boys," he said quietly, looking down at the mug of steaming tea in his hands.

"Dad," Link said in surprise, letting go of Sheik's hand and walking over to the table.

"Link," Brock said back in a flat, vacant voice. He glanced up. "Sheik."

"Hello," Sheik got out past the bile rising in his throat.

"Dad, what're you doing in here by yourself?" Link asked gingerly, positioning the width of the table between his father and him.

Brock's eyes fell flat on the table as he spoke. "I don't really have anywhere to go, son. None of my children need me. What's left?"

"That happens when they grow up," Sheik observed from the doorway.

Brock's eyes turned to glare hatred at him. "Sheikah, _don't_ say what you don't know. It isn't your place."

"I meant no disrespect," Sheik answered back calmly, crossing his arms. "But I do in fact know that children grow up. What I don't know is how it feels to be the parent who is watching it all happen. That is something I have never experienced. I am not a father."

"Never will be, either, if you keep fucking my boy," Brock growled in disgust. "In case you were confused, he _isn't a woman!_"

"I know that," Sheik answered calmly. Link glanced at him anxiously from where he stood. "I prefer him the way he is, actually."

Link's cheeks blushed a violent shade of red. "Wh-where is everyone?"

"They're all out," Brock muttered, still glaring at Sheik. "All of them, gone."

"Davin and Luca haven't come back yet?" Link asked. "They left with us, they—."

"Goddesses," Brock spat.

"What?" Link asked, brow drawing down. Sheik watched him with a worried frown.

"Nothing," Brock said, subdued. "Nothing."

"Sheik! Heavens above and the goddesses spare me, I've been searching for you!" Duncan burst into the room, grabbing Sheik's shoulders and pushing him over flat onto the table in front of Brock's seat. Directly above him, Sheik could see both Brock's disgusted yet surprised face, and Duncan's barley composed expression of madness.

Rolling across the table and away from Brock, Sheik sat up and pushed himself up, landing next to Link.

Duncan watched him do it with a look of appreciation. "Goddesses, if I could move like that, I'd—."

"You've been looking for me?" Sheik reminded him, wary that all eyes in the room had fallen on him.

A spark of understanding lit up the Earl's eyes. "Yes! Sheik, you have to go! You have to leave tonight!"

Sheik froze. "Duncan, what did you see?" He asked carefully.

"I know you know about the woman in the streets," he said in a rush. "But what I saw in her eyes... she was hiding it, but I saw! She came from... from..."

"Say it!" Sheik yelled, fear growing in him like a thick, choking vine.

"You need to go," he repeated, surging forward and grabbing both Sheik and Link's arms, pulling them out of the kitchen. "I'm sorry, sir!" He called to Brock before taking them off down the hallway and pushing them up the stairs. "Go, go get your things! He's going to die if you wait!"

"Who's going to die?" Link shouted as Duncan pushed them up the last step and into their room.

"Just hurry! Go now, and then come back! If you don't stop to sleep on the way, you can get there by tomorrow night!"

"Get where?" Sheik shouted, yanking away from Duncan's surprisingly strong grip. "Duncan! You have to tell us what's going on!"

"You have to go to the Sheikah encampment near Breyden! You have to now, he can't last much longer on his own, I saw it all when I looked at her!"

"Who was she?" Link asked, breathing heavily.

"A Hylian soldier... well, a deserter."

"A deserter?"

"She stayed behind. She hid him, and cared for him, but she couldn't stay. I don't know why she thought she couldn't stay, but—."

"What?"

Duncan shook his head, frowning. "Just go—pack your bags, get your horse, and go! You'll understand when you get there. Just—please!"

* * *

**As awkward as I feel for admitting this, I researched it, and natural cooking oils actually are a legitimate form of lubrication. Apparently, if you can put it in your mouth and eat it, it's pretty safe to put up your bum hole (obviously, there are some exceptions).**

**Oh, also I must admit that I can't take credit for this line: "Because I've never felt less like being intimate with someone! And either you can't tell or you just don't care!" It's actually from Glee, from a fight between the show's gay couple: Kurt and Blaine. But hey, it fit _so_ perfectly, and I love paying homage to things!**

**Thanks you again, my lovelies! Don't be afraid to send me a review! I'd love to hear your reaction and thoughts!**


	23. A Sheikah Boy of the Younger Variety

**I've been sitting on this chapter for a while, putting off editing it, so I apologize for that. Anyways, Things are shifting...**

******Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three: A Sheikah Boy of the Younger Variety**

The first time Link had been to this particular forest, it had been a sea of emerald green, cradled between two lush hilltops like a precious jewel. There had been camp smoke rising from the pines, and indications of all sorts of creatures that had made the area their home.

The place was still very beautiful. The deep green of the pine trees shown brighter in the crisp, early-winter air, and the presence of nature was humbling in its magnificence.

But it was wrong. There were none of the signs of life that had been there before. It was too quiet. There were no birds, or animals, or anything. There was only that kind of silence you have to go into the deep wilderness to feel.

Only about a month before, a huge Sheikah camp had been using the land there. There had been women and children; families. Families like what Link's had become, that were just trying to get by with some sort of normalcy in the hand they'd been dealt.

"Do you—," Link started, swallowing roughly. He wanted to be under Sheik's arm, where maybe he could block out the sense of dread that made him feel trapped like a keese stuck in a skultula's web. But he stood where he was on his own two feet, holding Epona's bridle as she snorted, and made himself finish. "Do you think anybody is down there?" He looked up at Sheik, eyebrows knitting together with worry.

Sheik was staring out over the valley, his expression completely vacant of any emotion. It was almost frightening to see him like that. Most times if he wasn't saying anything he was just scowling around at things, but never this... this blankness.

"Sheik?" Link asked again, clutching the older boy's shirt. "Should we go look?"

"No one is there!" Sheik spat, pushing Link off of him, sending the younger boy stumbling back several feet in the grass, nearly falling. Sheik glanced back, watching as Link regained his footing before turning back, marching down the hill, hands balled into fists.

Link set his eyes to the ground, wet with dew. Sheik had pushed him away; he had never treated him like that before. He told himself it was just the stress that was getting to him. It was in the world and in their lives; but the rejection cut deep nonetheless. Link sucked in some of the cool morning air. Sheik wouldn't have reacted like that if something bad hadn't happened to that camp in the trees. He was already fearing the worst, and to be honest, so was Link.

Sheik had already disappeared into the forest by the time Link came out of his thoughts. He swallowed, picking his way carefully down the steep slope as well. He tied Epona to one of the trees just inside the woods. She seemed uneasy at the quiet, acting even more obstinate than usual. Link shared her concern. Panic was creeping into him like one of the floormaster monsters his brothers had always scared him with when they were young.

They had left Clock Town two days ago. Caught up in the hysteria of Duncan's frantic pleading for them to go and not stop, they had powered through the first night on Epona, but started walking early in the morning to give her a rest. They walked all day and rode some, but the second night they had camped a few miles away from the forested valley. They'd been too exhausted to continue that extra bit, and searching the woods in the dark was just a catastrophe waiting to happen. So they'd woken up a few hours after dawn that morning and made the rest of the way south, with no idea what to expect.

Inside the dense woods the outside world didn't exist. All was silent. There were no animals or birds chirping. Link couldn't even hear Sheik within the foliage.

He set out walking through the trees, towards where he remembered the Sheikah taking them last time. He remembered that day with a tinge of fear. Walking through the shadowy forest, weapons pointed at their backs; that was the second time that Link had ever truly feared for his life. The first was the day he'd proven his cowardice in Ordon by hiding under the bed like a frightened rabbit in its burrow.

If there were still any Sheikah in the forest, surely they would have apprehended him by now? The camp he had fixed in his memory was a large one. It would be hard for him to miss, unless it was gone and they'd already packed up and moved towards Hyrule. It was not likely they had known of the Hylian soldiers traveling south to find them, so maybe they really had moved on. But... if that were true, why was Link getting the same eerie feeling he'd had when he and Sheik had travelled through the Ordon Woods, near his old home? There were ghosts here too, just like then. Link could feel them.

"Sheik?" he called out, fear making his voice come out tremulous. The underbrush was growing denser, and the canopy of pine boughs were choking out more and more light from the overcast sky. "Sheik, where are you? Please answer me."

A tree root snagged his boot and sent him crashing forward into a nearby tree. He caught himself on the coarse bark at the last moment and sighed deeply, letting his head fall forward against the trunk. He remained there, looking reflectively at the ground. "Why is this all happening?" he wondered aloud. It was a question that had been nagging at him lately. Sheik and he seemed to be caught up in the middle of it all. This war of races... Why had it all happened to _him_? Were the goddesses testing him? All of the people in the towns and cities he'd seen seemed to have little care in the world. Their lives went on and on, and they got to stay put and grow old and happy together. So why couldn't Link have that?

"Sheik!" Link called again, pushing off of the tree. Thinking like that just depressed him. He was certain the woods were empty apart from Sheik and him. If they weren't, surely he would have been captured by now? There were no Sheikah there, and no Hylian soldiers either. Not anymore, anyways. Probably not ever again, seeing how...

Link squinted, trying to correct his vision so he could tell if that scrap of gray cloth peeking out from behind a tree ten feet away was real. Yes, that was definitely the corner of a blanket, or a shirt, or something. What could it be? Some belonging abandoned in the rush to evacuate the forest? Duncan's words came back to him then: ''He's going to die if you wait!'

"Hello?" Link called tentatively. "Is someone there?"

Almost as soon as he'd called out, the scrap of gray cloth was yanked out of his sight. There was someone hiding behind that tree. Link wondered desperately where Sheik was. What if he couldn't deal with whoever was hiding there? What if they weren't hiding from him at all, but were just waiting for him to draw close enough to attack?

"Hello?" Link called again, edging forward against his better judgment. He gave the tree in question as wide a berth as he could, circumventing it while also trying not to trip himself on the thick underbrush. He was deathly afraid that someone was going to jump out at him and stab him in the throat.

Slowly, he brought himself around the tree, edging further and further until he'd made it to the front.

But what he saw there, huddled under a dirty, woolen gray blanket was no crazed madman hunched waiting with a knife. It was a tiny, sandy-blonde boy with frightened, teary crimson eyes.

Link was so shocked that he found himself just staring down at the tiny boy, trying to take in and register the sight before him. The large, bulky blanket hid all of his body, but his cheeks were gaunt and his hair was lank. It looked as if someone had left him sitting there for a week.

_ 'He's going to die if you wait!'_

Somehow, Link knew that this tiny little boy was who the Earl had been referring to. This was who he'd seen in that deserting soldier's eyes.

...And... Maybe Link saw a bit of himself in the desperate eyes of that scant, weak, frightened little boy.

Slowly, Link lowered himself until he was kneeling before him. Why would the other Sheikah have left one of their children behind? They must have been in an awful hurry to forget something so precious.

"Hello," Link said softly, watching the boy for any signs of reaction.

The child blinked, bottom lip jutting out from his dirt-smudged face.

"Do you know where your family is?" Link tried. The boy just stared at him, fear showing plain on his face.

"Can you talk?" Link pressed, his heart going out to the little boy. He didn't look any bigger than four or five years old.

The Sheikah boy cocked his head ever so slightly, his lank yellow hair falling into his eyes. "_Nota_," he finally squeaked, burying his face in the blanket. He said something else as well, but it sounded so foreign and complicated that Link couldn't even decipher it into syllables.

Link bit his lip. The boy was definitely Sheikah, from his eyes to his hair to the fact that he apparently didn't understand a word of Hylian. Sheik could speak both languages fluently; he would know what to do.

Whatever outcome, there was no way Link was leaving the child. He leaned forward, pulling the boy—blanket and all—into his arms.

"_Nala_! _Nala_!" The child immediately began to struggle, tiny fists beating against Link's chest and face.

Link sighed and stood with him, taking the hits with understanding. They were so soft they didn't even hurt, but they made his heart ache all the same. "It's alright," Link cooed softly, squeezing his eyes shut and turning his face away against the feeble assault. He racked his brain for any tidbit of Sheikahn language he might have picked up from Sheik. He drew a blank, except for...

"_Mala_," he murmured, cracking an eye open and watching the boy for a reaction. He knew the word meant 'friend' from before Sheik and he had become more than that, before Sheik had started calling him '_nali_' instead.

The boy stopped in his onslaught long enough to draw back and blink tearily at him, confusion pairing with panic on his emaciated face. It had worked. "_Mala_," Link repeated, and since the boy had stopped screaming, he continued, even though he knew his words would fall on ears that could not understand. "I'm going to take you to my friend, Sheik. He knows your language."

There was a pack resting against the tree near where the boy had been huddled. Link reached down and grabbed it before getting a better hold on the tiny boy in his arms, letting his weight rest on his hip. He felt small arms go around his neck and tiny hands grip at the collar of his jacket.

He whimpered something unintelligible and yet beautiful and flowing, despite his sorrow, against Link's neck. He slowly brought a hand up and stroked the child's back. This was all hitting too close to home for him.

* * *

When one is faced with a horrible situation, one tries to rationalize and make the best of things. Sheik had done that; he had somehow convinced himself that even though he knew Hylian soldiers were in the country, they could not have found the Sheikah camp. They were too _stupid_ for that, surely? He had _deluded_ himself into believing that everything was the same and that everyone was safe. And by those delusions, he had convinced himself that it was alright to ignore everything.

The mass amount of churned earth before him spoke differently.

He'd seen the camp, with the blood-spattered canvas walls and discarded weapons and flattened grass. He'd walked beyond all that, through a foot-worn and blood-soaked trail in the underbrush that led through the trees and into a clearing, where he found himself now. Staring at a mass grave.

Rage, there was rage within him. His people had been outnumbered. It had not been a fair fight! How else could the Hylians have ever been able to wipe out hundreds of well-trained Sheikah? The camp must have been so overwhelmed by the sneaking Hylian rats that they—they... they fell. That it had been an ambush. That they had had no chance of winning. Men, women, children. Elders, babies... dead. Murdered.

Sheik was too world-worn to put any hope into the possibility that anyone had escaped. His parents—whom he'd had no kind words for the last and only time he'd ever seen them—had fallen like the rest of them. He knew they had not gotten away by some grand miracle. No, the grave before him held within its maw all of the Sheikah that had made their homes there, he knew it.

He had renounced his people near there, on the hilltop in front of Link. He had said he didn't want anything to do with them. He had told his parents that he wanted nothing to do with his people. And then he had been selfishly worrying for his own safety in Clock Town, when... when this perpetration of mass-slaughter had been taking place. He felt sick with himself for that. Renounce his people? Never. He would fight until this atrocity had been paid for, drop by drop of blood. Sheik hoped that his people had taken down as many of those cold-blooded, cheating, lying, foul bastardswith them to the grave as possible. Those Sheikah had been fighting for their people's freedom, something that had been taken away from them generations ago. And they had been slaughtered while Sheik had been lying around in the Stock Pot Inn, mooning over a boy.

Sheik had run away from the castle and rapaciously taken his own freedom with hardly a look back. He hadn't been thinking about his people, he'd been thinking about himself. How could he have been content while others of his kin were in danger? The families…

The happiness he'd been in with Link... it must have addled his brain. It must have made him forget who he really was and where his loyalties should lie. Yes, it had been right of him to escape the castle, but he had gone sickeningly wrong when he'd ignored the cry of his people and deigned to live as if what was going on in the world didn't concern him.

But... through all of the realizations and regrets, Sheik knew that he could never say goodbye to Link and go back to do what needed to be done. He couldn't. It would break him. And at the same time, he couldn't take Link with him. It would be too dangerous for him. He couldn't fight; Sheik wasn't even sure how well he could defend himself.

He hoped that the goddesses would spit on the Hylian brutes that had done this, when they came to their holy table after their own eventual deaths. He hoped that they _burned_ in _agony_ for the rest of their existence. They _must_ be made to pay for their wicked deeds.

Sheik could see to that. This sin could not go unpunished. These people—_his _people had—."

"Sheik?"

Sheik blinked rapidly as he raised his head and looked around. He had been so enraptured by his thoughts of revenge that he had forgotten where he was. Link's voice was calling him through the trees.

With one last look, Sheik left the clearing. He would spill those Hylians' blood for what they had done. When Sheik was growing up, Fen had taught him not to hate without reason. Well, he had plenty of reason now, didn't he?

"Link, stay where you are, I will find you!" Sheik called into the trees as he jogged back through the bloodied camp. He didn't want Link to see the battleground, and especially not the grave. Knowing him, he would go into hysterics. He would guess at the thoughts in Sheik's head and beg him to be pacifistic when _revenge_ was so clearly needed!

He heard Link before he saw him. Back away from the camp, in the thick underbrush, he was making quite a lot of noise as he stumbled around. More than usual, actually, almost as if his weight was unbalanced in some way, like he had been injured. _Oh, goddesses, please no._

"I'm here!" Sheik called, stepping around a tree and catching sight of him a couple dozen feet away. He looked tired, and scared, and good goddesses, what in the heavens was he carrying?

The bundle of gray blanket had a head of lank, yellow hair, and two short, thin arms were poking out from it, wrapped around Link's neck. And then a sallow, pale face turned towards him.

Sheik blinked. There was a survivor? How had that tiny little boy lasted when his older, hardened warrior kin had not? And then he remembered Duncan, and all his words and warnings, and why they were there in the first place. Everything made sense to him then. The ex-soldier on the market stair; this little boy was the reason she had deserted from the army. She must have found him in the rage of the battle and felt compassion... But it didn't matter. Sheik didn't care. She was still as guilty as the rest of them, and if Sheik ever saw her again, he would rip out her throat with his bare hands.

"Sheik, I need your help," Link panted, setting the bundle of gray wool on the ground. "He doesn't speak Hylian."

Sheik nodded wordlessly and squatted down next to the tiny, sick-looking child. Dull crimson eyes stared back at him as he studied the boy's sallow face. He asked his name in Sheikahn, hoping the dialect he knew was the same as the one the boy had grown up with.

The boy's tiny little lip puckered out as he whimpered, tears sticking in his eyelashes.

Sheik spoke again, more forcefully. "Stop crying and tell me your name." The familiar Sheikahn syllables rolled off his tongue like liquid music. Somewhere in his mind, Sheik knew he was being far too harsh with the child. He was young, barley more than a toddler, and he had lost his family and no doubt didn't understand what was happening. But there was no room or time for compassion in light of the current circumstances.

"Addica," the boy squeaked out, gasping for air past his sobs, eyes wide open. Sheik stared at his tear-stained face, wondering why he couldn't feel anything but anger.

"His name is Addica," Sheik said flatly, glancing back up at Link without an expression.

The Hylian boy's eyebrows pulled together on his forehead. "Do you think if we asked him what happened he'd even know?" His blue eyes looked so lost.

Sheik pursed his lips before turning back to the tiny, sobbing Sheikah boy. "Addica," he started. Softly, he told him to stop crying. A strong accent came out with his speech, and it felt wonderfully familiar to him. He had not used his people's language in so long. Had he been so determined to flush any thought of them from his mind? "Can you tell me what happened to the others?" he asked.

Addica's eyes spilled over with fresh tears, but he dropped the blanket he'd been holding with one hand and wiped at them with a dirty sleeve. Thankfully, his answer didn't take long. "Twi f-fay taim twi ofë sankas p-pailan twin aya."

"'The people with the funny eyes hurt them all.'" Sheik repeated the boy's words in Hylian for Link's benefit, looking off to the side, thinking. "He must mean the Hylians. 'Funny eyes.' I mean, he can't be very old—probably five years or so—it's possible he was born out here."

"You're the same as me," Addica said quietly, his tears finally slowing as he stared at Sheik. His lips formed the Sheikahn words in an odd way, warping the sounds slightly, proving that the dialect may in fact have been a bit different. "Sheikah," he whispered.

Link was staring at the boy with some soft mix of compassion and pity. "You mean that the soldiers were the first Hylians he's ever seen?"

The little boy's eyes slid up to watch Link as he spoke. In a quiet voice, more sober than a boy his age should ever be, he asked if Link was going to hurt him 'like the others.'

Sheik reached forward, holding the child's small chin with his fingers, forcing him to meet his stern eyes. "No, that is _Link_." He put one hand on the tiny boy's shoulder, turning him as he pointed at said Hylian boy. "He helped you, remember?" Sheik gently reminded him.

"He found me," Addica squeaked, staring at Link with enormous eyes. The word '_naj_,' or 'he,' was garbled, as if he'd not properly learned to say it yet, even through the difference in dialect. He turned back to Sheik, his sallow face crumpling up into a ball of sadness. "I want my mother," he blurted, fresh tears pooling over and streaking down his gaunt little cheeks. "Please, where is she?" he sniffed, stepping forward, his fists clutching at Sheik's shirt.

"What's wrong?" Link asked worriedly, kneeling down beside them.

The little boy's anguish and what he'd just said broke through the hardened rage that had been clouding Sheik's mind. The anger was still there, but this little boy was his _kin_. He was Sheik's responsibility now, and even though he still had that rage eating away at his heart, this little Sheikah boy needed him to be understanding. So be it.

Sheik met Link's eyes sadly. "He's begging for his mother."

Link's face contorted with pain. "Are they all dead, then?"

Sheik pulled back into that hardened mask as Link's words reminded him. "Yes."

"Wh-what are we going to do with him?"

"We cannot leave him. There is no one here."

"Can we take him with us? Back to Clock Town?"

Sheik glanced down at the boy. Addica was still clutching at his shirt; standing there, so lost, with an expression that looked a little like Link when he was upset. "We have to."

Link nodded, standing back up and collecting Addica's blanket and pack from the ground. "Let's just go, then," he murmured tiredly. "Epona's bound to be skittish on her own, and there's nothing left here. We have a couple of days ahead of us before we make it back to Clock Town."

Sheik nodded, picking up the still-crying Addica and walking after Link. He didn't know what to do. He knew he couldn't sit idly in the Stock Pot Inn for however many days while they plotted their escape out of Termina. He didn't want to escape. He wanted to fight. But... Link...

_No!_ His mind told him. _Link is a distraction! Your people need you! They have always needed you! How can you be so selfish_? _Clinging to him like a lovesick puppy? That life is not for you, it has never been for you. You don't deserve it. You belong with your people, fighting by their side, not with the Hylian boy_. Why_ are you being so selfish? _

Sheik blinked. It felt as if there were another person inside him, screaming these things at the top of their lungs. Deep down he knew that he, one Sheikah, could not make much of a difference in this fight, but it still felt like not trying to help was very, very wrong. It felt like denial, or even betrayal.

But wouldn't abandoning Link, the love of his life, be just as much a betrayal as abandoning his people? Because he did love Link more than life itself, now that they were back together and had both grown from being apart. Whatever path was the right one for him to take was hidden from his sight.

* * *

"Okay, okay. There are just too many things wrong with this picture. First of all, and this is the least of my worries, neither of you have child-bearing hips. Second, you were _so_ not gone for nine months plus however old that kid is. Third, you're both men and I'm sorry, but no matter how much you like each other, it's impossible to—.

"Luca, both of this child's parents are dead," Sheik interrupted, his eyes rising to meet Luca's. "I understand that you could not have had any knowledge of that, but in light of the situation, I really don't want to listen to you say things like that." he said slowly and carefully, no doubt holding in the sharper retort he wished he could have said instead. Link was grateful that he was attempting to keep a reign on his temper.

"They're dead?" Luca asked quietly, teasing expression melting away in the span of an instant.

Sheik nodded slowly, silent as a shadow as he glanced at the boy in question, held in Link's arms.

Addica picked his head up off Link's shoulder, fingers gripping at his collar almost desperately as he looked up at Davin and Luca.

"There were hundreds of them there," Link said. His own voice sounded hollow in his ears. "Or at least that's what we think had to have happened. The soldiers killed everyone in the rebel camps. This little guy," he said, lifting the child further up on his hip. "We found him."

"Goddesses," Davin breathed, brow knitting together high on his forehead as his eyes fell on Addica. "Is he...?"

"This is Addica." Link interrupted, answering his brother's question before he could get it out. He wasn't quite sure why he couldn't feel anything. "It seems he's the only survivor."

"So his...?" Davin started, but trailed off. It seemed he hadn't really had an idea of what he was going to ask.

"He doesn't speak Hylian," Link said tiredly, pulling the boy further up on his hip, as he'd been slipping. "Sheik's talked to him a bit, and what I told you is what we've learned from him."

Addica suddenly started squirming in Link's arms. Link set him down on the ground, where the little Sheikah boy grabbed the leg of his trousers and immediately hid behind them. "He doesn't really understand much of what's happened, I don't think. He knows, but he doesn't understand it. Sheik's told him why we took him away with us, but..."

When Link looked back up at them, Luca had his arm around Davin's back, squeezing his shoulders lightly and almost... unconsciously. Luca hadn't realized he was doing it, but his body was automatically there for Link's brother. Link couldn't help but stare, because through all that was going on, it hadn't really registered with him that his brother and Luca were together now. Lovers. It was still odd to see. Odd, but nice.

Sheik squatted down next to Link's legs and held his hand out to Addica. The boy studied him for the briefest of moments before taking his hand and walking into his arms.

"Perhaps this is the wrong time to say this..." Luca murmured, watching them. "But you three could all be a family. You all look alike. Except for Link, maybe."

"Hey," Link protested, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm blonde, that's got to count for something in your little equation here."

"Yeah, but the facial construction is all wrong," Luca pointed out, grinning sarcastically.

"Equation or not," Sheik said. "That seems to be what we are now. There's no one else for him."

"Do you two even have the means?" Davin asked quietly, watching Link.

"We're rich, actually," Sheik said from the ground, pausing to look up and grin devilishly at the two men. "No reason."

Both Luca and Davin looked like they were desperate to ask more about that particular subject, but unfortunately for them, Rosalyn came dancing down the stairs before they could say anything on the matter. "Oh!" she said as soon as she saw them, pretty eyes alighting in excitement. "Link, you're back! We were beginning to worry for you!" She flashed a flirty smile in Sheik's direction as he stood to his feet. "Welcome back to you too."

Link didn't really know Rosalyn, but she had shown herself to be a kind, thoughtful girl. "Hello," he murmured back, bringing his tired eyes up to hers as she approached, managing a tight smile. How was it that even _she_ was taller than him? Goddesses, he was exhausted...

"And who is this?" She said gently, kneeling down in front of Sheik and Addica, her long raven hair spilling over her shoulders as she leaned in. "Hello, little one."

"He can't understand you," Link explained in a voice that was born from exhaustion. The words had fallen from his mouth only a couple of times, and yet already he was growing tired of uttering them.

Addica's eyes peeked out timidly at Rosalyn from under his dull hair as he cowered back against Sheik's legs.

"Oh," she gasped. "He's Sheikah. Where did he come from?"

"A large group of rebel Sheikah that were camped south of here... the soldiers came, and he's... the only one left."

The wariness in her eyes completely melted as soon as she'd heard this, and she held a hand to her breast, breathing in sharply. "Oh, the poor thing..." Rosalyn looked straight at Addica and smiled gently. "I'm so sorry, love."

"Link," Addica whispered, looking away from Rosalyn and up at him. He said something to him in Sheikahn that sounded like some sort of a question. Sheik squatted down and pulled him close and whispered something into his ear. The child's wide eyes bore confusion, and his tiny brow furrowed almost comically as he stared back at Sheik.

"We're tired, and we've been on the road a lot this week," Link murmured, looking at them all. "I'm very sorry, but I'm going to excuse us all so we can go upstairs. We'll tell you all more tomorrow, I promise, but I really just want to sleep now. This one probably should to," Link murmured, nodding towards Addica, who was in fact looking a little drowsy.

"Are you two alright with caring for him for the night?" Davin asked.

"He should be with Sheik, actually, seeing as how he's the only one that can understand a lick of anything he says."

"Sheikahn isn't really all that complicated, Link, once you figure out the trick to it," Sheik commented. "You could learn quite easily." He proceeded to roll his eyes. "Honestly, _Hylian_ is the language that's unnecessarily complicated."

"Not tonight I can't," Link grumbled back. "I'm already dead on my feet, so I'm sorry, but good night." He moved past them all, heading for the stairs.

"Goodnight, everyone," Sheik murmured, following Link up the stairs. Link felt one of his love's hands lace together with his own as they climbed, and he smiled. Maybe not everything was good in the world right now, but Sheik and he were.

"Link, hello," Jasten, who was coming down the hallway, stopped in front of them, brow raised to the ceiling. "What's this? Or rather, _who's_ this?"

"Davin can tell you. I'm sorry, I just can't talk now." Link pushed past him, opening the door to Sheik's and his room with his free hand.

"I'm sorry, Link's exhausted from all the traveling. He'll be sound in the morning," Sheik explained, still standing with Jasten.

Link heard a chuckle come from his brother. "You know? Never thought I'd hear a Sheikah make excuses for my little brother, but here I am." There was a slapping sound. Link turned in alarm, his hand still on their doorknob.

...But Jasten had clapped Sheik on the shoulder, and they were... smiling at each other... in a weird sort of way. And then they both caught Link staring.

"Link," Jasten scolded, an amused smile fixed on his face. "You know what mom always said about looking like that: 'Stand there with your mouth hanging open like that and a fairy will make its nest right on the tip of your tongue.'" With that, Jasten nodded to them both and trotted off down the stairs.

"That was... odd," Link commented as Sheik joined him in front of their half-open door, a yawning Addica still in his arms.

"I found it to be a pleasant encounter, actually," Sheik argued, studying Link's face. "May we enter the room now, _nali_?"

"Oh yeah, sorry..." Link allowed Sheik to pass by him and then followed, closing the door behind them as Sheik set Addica down onto their bed. "I guess I just mean that Jasten's never... _ever_ really acted not _serious_ before."

"Well, Link, he really has every reason to be happy. He's going to be married soon, and he has you back in his life. That of itself would put anyone in high spirits."

Link tucked his head down, blushing.

"Besides," Sheik continued. "If your Hylian family wants to break the over-worn mold and be kind to me, Link, I have no room to complain. Especially after everything that's happened." He pulled the comforter back, saying something quietly to Addica. The little boy looked at Link before crawling over and allowing Sheik to cover him with the blanket.

"You're right," Link agreed, sitting down wearily in the room's one tiny armchair. "But we need to talk about something else, I think." He ran his hand back through his hair, bringing it off his face.

"I agree," Sheik said simply.

Link watched the pair of Sheikah interact on the bed without an expression, thinking. "You know, that little guy takes up more room than you'd think," he commented. "I'm going to have to sleep on the floor."

"No," Sheik laughed, casting a fond expression over his shoulder at Link. "I'll not let you do that. I think I'll go downstairs and see if Anju has a cot or something we can put him on, because you are right when you say that he takes up more room than he needs, but I will not sleep away from you. Who know how many more nights we'll be able to afford the pleasure of sleeping in each other's arms?"

"Sheik..." Link had caught on to the undertone of Sheik's words.

"Link, I know," Sheik said, his voice dropping dangerously low. "I know, but I'm not sure what to do. The obvious choice would be to travel to the desert and rally my people there to fight, if they aren't already, but then..."

Link had to say it; he had to. "Sheik, I—I want you to know that you should do what you have to do. Whatever you have to do. Don't worry about me, okay? This is bigger than us, and I understand that—."

"_Nali_," Sheik's voice was soft; troubled, maybe. "Love is about making sacrifices. I should fight. I _want_ to fight after what I saw there. But it's my responsibility to look after you as well, and I couldn't take you with me. The battlefield is no place for you, _lalu_. You would get hurt."

"Battlefield?" Link looked over at him. "You think this will escalate into that?"

Sheik nodded. "Oh yes. Link, you do not understand the Sheikah the way I do. What has been wrought is a deep, deep scar that cannot heal itself. Think of it like a hunter killing a mother wolf's pups. Well, you don't think the mother wolf is going to lie down and let the hunter walk out of her den without paying for what he did, do you?"

Link blinked, thinking about the analogy. "But... I left you to help my family, and it would be selfish of me to expect you to stay with me when—."

"Yes, it would be, _nali_, but you do not expect that of me. That's obvious because you just told me. What happened then was different from now."

"How is it any different? We'd both have left to do something that had to be done."

"Because," Sheik sighed heavily, and the bed squeaked as he stood up. "Even through all we have ever said to each other, Link: the first time we kissed, that time in the hollow log, even the first time we made love... Well, I've had a lot of time to think things through on my own, and it struck me that when we left Castle Town, I really didn't know anything about you. I think all those 'I love you's' back then, though I believe we thought we meant them, were just a way to anchor ourselves together because we were both terrified of being alone in the world. The fact remains that we are still both incredibly young. I don't think that we were completely in love with each other when you left back for Hyrule. We loved each other to a degree—after all, _nali_ is a sacred word and I would not use it lightly—but not as much as we do now."

"I don't understand," Link confessed.

Link felt Sheik's hand squeeze his shoulder. "I only meant to say that we're young, and both inexperienced in this aspect. Neither of us really know how deep and wide love can become between two people. I think that when we left that Sheikah camp, we were both having doubts about what we'd gotten ourselves into. Did you not think that, even a little? After all, you questioned my feelings towards you, I remember."

"Well, yes," Link admitted, turning his head to gaze up at Sheik, who was standing behind the chair, looking down at him with enigmatic eyes. "I think our time apart may have brought us closer together."

"I would agree, though I missed you very much." Sheik sat lightly on the small arm of the chair, staring off into the room. "I want to tear those soldiers' throats out, Link. I want to _hurt_ them." Sheik's completely serious tone as he admitted to this unnerved Link. "But I think it would be very wrong of me to abandon you, especially now that I _know_ that what we have between us is genuine love. Although it is selfish of me, I think that unless the need becomes dire and I must absolutely go to my people, I should find a way to strike out at those Hylian soldiers on my own, staying close to you all the while. Because, Link-_nali_, I _love_ you. You are my family now, and one thing I will never do is let you go."

"Sheik, that's lovely, thank you, but... won't that be incredibly dangerous?"

"I will be cautious, _nali_. And the Sheikah no doubt took out quite a bit of the Hylians' in the fight. Perhaps it will not take as long as you think."

"I believe you, love, but there's still plenty of reasons to worry."

"It is the only way I can think of to do what I have to do without leaving you, and that is the truth behind my thinking. I promise you that I will never stray more than a couple days at a time from your side."

"Where will you start?"

Sheik hesitated a bit before answering, studying Link's face carefully. "I will try to find the woman we saw on the market stair last week."

"Even though she helped Addica?"

Sheik's face pulled down into a sneer. "Do you honestly think that she isn't just as guilty? Perhaps she cut out to help the boy, but she had a hand in it—she killed—and _that_ is what matters."

Link watched him as he spoke, worry growing and growing in him like a horrible, choking weed. "Sheik..." he started, staring at his lap. He should just come out and say it, right? It had been bothering him the whole way back to Clock Town. "I don't want you to die, Sheik. Not like them. We're lucky—so lucky—that the soldiers haven't found you yet. I know you can fight well, but there are so many of them! I'm so afraid for you just being here, and now you want to hunt down the very people who I am terrified will be the death of you! I—I know you're careful, but things can slip up and people can make mistakes, and what if—what if—?"

"_Nali!" _Sheik barked. "Enough of that!" He looked away angrily, crossing his arms. "There's no reason to worry yourself sick over any of this, it will do you no good."

"But you're not denying it could happen." Link said helplessly.

"Of course not," he answered, swallowing roughly. "I'm not denying things could go wrong, they could; they might, but I'm _not_ going to remain idle through all this; the time for that is over. I need to stop being a child."

"I just want peace," Link whispered, closing his eyes.

He listened as Sheik stood up, and then there were fingers running through his hair and on his cheek, and footsteps on the wood-planking of the floor. Link opened his eyes in time to see Sheik opening the door. "I'm going to see about that cot," he said, smiling weakly before exiting the room. Link listened to his footsteps as they faded down the hall.

He couldn't help but wonder just how bad things were about to get.

* * *

"I can't believe that child's really been through all that they say he has," Rosalyn whispered into Jasten's ear.

Jasten blinked as he thought of a way to answer her. They were snuggled up together on her tiny mattress, trying to be quiet because Brock was sleeping a few beds over. Brock had been spending most of his time holed up in their room, not talking to anybody, seeking solitude; staring out the window or playing cards by himself. Jasten felt bad for him, really. After all, it couldn't be easy to live with the fact that half of his children had turned out to be something he thought was sick and wrong. And... that one was dead.

Jasten didn't really... care, per say, that both of his brothers were queer-uh, liked men, that is-it was just _weird_. So weird. He supposed Luca and Sheik were good enough looking in theory, but he himself did not find one single bit of them attractive. Sheik was slender like a girl, he supposed, but... just—no.

_Rosalyn_, on the other hand... goddesses, _wow_! Rosalyn: with her long, dark, silky hair and full lips, soft skin, and curvy body. Not that he had ever seen that body outside of a dress or the occasional slacks, but still, she was beautiful in every way to him. It actually irked him quite a bit that his younger brother had lost his virginity _before_ he had, even if it was to a guy. It made him feel... inadequate, as a brother, mostly.

But hopefully very soon, while the family—what was left of it—were all together, they would marry. Rosalyn and he had talked about having the wedding there in Clock Town, so all that was left was to tell everyone else. It felt like this—all of them together in one place—couldn't really last very long. Too much had changed.

"What did you say, sweetie?" Jasten asked, having forgotten her words in his thoughts.

"Just that I feel bad for that little boy," she answered quietly. "It makes me miss my parents, back home. They were so sad when we told them that we were leaving with your family. Does it make you miss your mother and sister?"

"Yeah, definitely," Jasten answered. "It's a rare day when I don't miss them." He leaned in, planting a slow, lingering kiss on her soft cheek.

"You kids should get some sleep," Brock's low voice said in the darkness.

Jasten sighed, but smiled, kissing Rosalyn softly once more before sitting up and edging into his own bed, across from hers. "You alright, dad?" he asked as he sat down. "Did we wake you?"

"No," his father answered, sounding weary, all the same. "That daffy earl fellow did."

"Excuse me if I like a nice chat before I go to sleep!" A different, higher voice said. "How was I to know he was already sleeping? His back was turned! I thought he was just brooding, and well, you see, Sheik did a lot of that as well, and I always talked to him through it anyways, even when he told me again and again to leave, and that I was a twit, but—."

"You're in here too, Duncan?" Rosalyn laughed.

"I am!" the Earl called back cheerily. "'Ello! Addressing your earlier discussion, I'm so very glad that Link and Sheik found Addica, aren't you?"

Jasten rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile when Rosalyn answered him back, humoring the nutty earl. "I certainly am glad for that, Duncan!" She talked to him as if he were a simpleton, and the Earl no doubt could tell, but perhaps because of her enthusiasm he still liked talking to her best. She was really the only one with the patience for him.

"Who in the hell is Addica?" Brock asked.

"He's a four-and-a-half year old Sheikah boy who's family and relatives and really everyone he knew have been killed. I know, poor thing. I sent Sheik and Link after him. They saved his life, though I fear that sending Sheik there will make him go mad with rage, or something... I'll need to see him in the morning, I think, if only to see if he'll be all right in the future. I've seen things in his eyes before, after all."

"So now there're two Sheikah running around this shabby little inn? _Great_!" Brock growled.

"This is a _lovely_ inn, you shabby sir! Kafei and Anju are great friends of mine, and you miscounted, in fact. Addica was the third, because Mr. Kafei was the first, which would make Sheik the second!"

"The bloody innkeeper is a Sheikah too? How is that even allowed?!"

"Dad, calm down." Jasten bid. Now that he'd seen other people and seen influences outside of his own father, he was beginning to see just how unfair Brock really was. It was like a blindfold had been lifted from his eyes. Brock was unfair to the Sheikah—who really weren't all that bad, they were just people like everyone else when it came down to it—unfair to Link, and even Davin, who he'd never really had a problem with before the whole Luca thing. Link had always gotten the sharp end of the stick, and that was all Brock's fault. Even if his brother _was_ really different in a lot of ways, the boy was _happy_ with how he was now with Sheik, and away from Brock. So all's the better.

"Son, I—!"

"No, I said _calm down_," Jasten growled. "Just let it go. It's a _good_ thing they found that little boy, alright? It doesn't matter what race he is, they saved his life!"

"Here, here!" Duncan called.

"Well, lucky him," Brock spat vehemently. "But tell me why no one was there to save Ahnna or Haera when they needed help?! Why should I feel happy at all for that _stupid_ kid when my wife and daughter are _dead_?!"

"Dad, I—."

"_Don't_!" Brock shouted, choking over the word a bit as he threw himself out of bed and out the door, slamming it shut behind him as he thundered down the stairs. "Just get out of my way!" he yelled at some poor soul in the hallway.

Jasten rolled over onto his side, facing the wall. He'd meant what he said, but it wasn't easy to see his father, the man he had looked up to most of his life, so broken.

"Well, I have to admit I do feel a little bad for him," Duncan said suddenly. "He's done a lot of wrong and bad, but he's also lost a lot as well, and that is never easy. Loss and the fear of loss can change a person."

Truer words had never been spoken about Jasten's father.

** Okay, so I know it may seem weird that Sheik is so for the cause now, so to speak, especially after he's spent the entire story up to this point running away from a life of duty. But, I just want to clarify that the atrocity of what happened at the camp sort of... made him see the light, I guess you'd say. He feels... ashamed, I think is the right word, and sort of just like a selfish brat. So yeah, I had sort of a hard time conveying that, so I felt I should clarify.**

**So thanks, guys! Hope you enjoyed reading, and leave me a review if you so wish!**


	24. A Wedding

**I'll apologize for the wait again. Just know the holiday season had me busier than I'd anticipated. However, I pushed really hard to get this chapter out to you for the new year, and it had to be posted today, because once again, I'll be busy tomorrow. Sigh...**

**Anyways, as a result, I only did a once-over for spelling mistakes, so I apologize profusely if you find any.**

**So... uh, mature content below. This, I'll admit is a fluffy chapter for the most part, but there are some serious parts in it, so don't you worry! This story still has all kinds of plot to be had!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter 24: A Wedding**

_Goddesses, okay, you can do this. It's not a big deal. He's the only one sitting in there. Just go in and ask him. You can do this._

It had been roughly a week since Sheik and he had returned to Clock Town with Addica. The days were slow, and Sheik was tense, constantly pestering Duncan, trying to get information about the Hylian soldiers out of him. This, in turn, had made Link tense, because he wanted more than anything to stop Sheik from going out there and getting hurt. And now Link found himself here, about to willingly enter into the most awkward discussion of his young life. He took a deep breath, rounding the corner and entering the kitchen.

"Hey Davin, can I ask you sort of a... personal question?" he said, wincing at how loud his voice seemed in the silence of the room. He sat down at the table.

Davin sighed, setting down the dress jacket he had been mending for Jasten with an unhappy frown, obviously wary of whatever was coming next. "Yeah, Link, sure. What is it?"

Link could feel his cheeks reddening, even though he hadn't even started speaking yet. "When you... You and Luca..."

Yeah, Davin's demure emerald eyes were definitely guarded now. "What about Luca and I?" He said quickly—almost offhandedly—as he looked away.

"Oh goddesses, don't get the wrong idea, I just don't know how to say this," Link moaned, leaning his head on both his hands, staring at the wood grain of the table. "When you and Luca are... together—intimate—who...? That is, do you—? Ah, no, that isn't it!" he spat. "Does... he make love to you, or do-is it the other way around, or—?" Link gritted his teeth, because _wow_, that sounded so stupid now that he'd said it.

"Oh..." Davin cast his eyes away in embarrassment. "Well, um... Can I ask why you even want to know?"

"Please—just answer me first." Link said, strained. He was glad that Davin hadn't immediately stormed out of the room in a rage, but he couldn't say-not just yet.

"Well," Davin sighed. "For the most part, he does it. I mean, we tried it the other way once, back when we were kids, but it just... it works out better when he takes the lead. It doesn't have to be every time, but for the most part, him, I guess."

"Why?" Link asked.

"Well." Davin paused, really seeming to think about his answer. "For one, he's bigger than me. _Taller," _he specified quickly, cheeks turning red when he realized how what he'd said could be misconstrued. "Which makes the mechanics easier. And he's a lot more forward than I am. It just works out better when he does it. We're both more comfortable that way, I think."

"Oh..." Link mumbled, thinking about what his brother had said.

"Are you and Sheik..." Davin cleared his throat, still not looking at Link. "Having... trouble?"

Well, if there were ever going to be a time for laying it all out on the line with his brother, that might as well have been it. "Sort of... We... We sort of can't get it not to... hurt."

Davin blinked at him. "Does he... or do you-?"

"He does. Sort of for the reasons you said, I think."

"He's been hurting you, Link? You know you don't have to do anything that you don't want to do."

"I want to do it," Link corrected him. "I _really bad_ want to do it." Davin looked away, face scarlet. "I just didn't ever expect it to... hurt as much as it does. I thought it was supposed to feel good. And it does, but that hardly shuts out the pain. That's why I was sort of hoping that you might know if we're doing something wrong. I mean, it can't be that it's supposed to hurt, right?"

Davin closed his eyes, swallowing. "What do you two do?"

Link scratched the back of his head, leaning back in his chair as he gestured off vaguely into the air. "Well, you know, we just like... kiss, and stuff, and then once we're both... feeling it, we just... do it. And it's nice, after a while, after I get used to it, but at first it hurts so _goddesses_-_damned much_ that all I can think about is getting him out of me. And he tries to stop when he notices that I feel that way, but each time I don't let him. I just sort of... push through. I don't know why I do it."

During the middle of Link's little speech, Davin had turned to stare at him, brow pulled down low over his eyes so that Link couldn't really tell what was going through his head. Davin put his hand on the table. "Link, you're telling me that he doesn't even stretch you out first?"

Link blinked. "What's that?"

If possible, Davin looked even more shocked. "And you—you don't use any sort of... lubrication?"

"Uh... no." Link's cheeks burned with heat.

"Well, that's your problem, Link." Davin cleared his throat. "You can't just stick something that big up there right away. You or he need to use your... fingers to stretch out the muscle so it doesn't hurt so much when he actually..." Davin made a motion with his hand, staring off at the ceiling. "Does his thing."

"Oh." Was all Link could say. He'd had no idea.

"And for the sake of the goddesses, use some sort of oil when you and him are intimate. You'll tear something if you don't."

"Does that also makes it... easier?" Link asked, finally looking shamefully up at his older brother.

Davin eyed him with a stern, almost fatherly expression. "Link, it makes it _better_."

"Oil?"

"Yes, Link, oil."

"Okay." Link stood up, staring at his feet as he stood by the table. "Thanks, Davin."

"You're welcome, Link. I'm glad I could help you with this." Davin smiled, though he'd averted his eyes again.

Link grabbed his coat before heading outside. He had a little... shopping to do.

* * *

Talking with Davin had helped. Link had been at such a loss with what he and Sheik were doing wrong. He knew it was supposed to feel good, and now, thanks to that awkward, uncomfortable conversation, it hopefully would. Link knew it wasn't nearly late enough for such things—people in the inn were still wide awake—but he at least wanted to share what he had learned. He gratefully rushed out of the biting winter air and into the cozy embrace of the Stock Pot Inn. No one was around—save for Anju, who smiled at him—and he was grateful, because he was on a... mission of sorts.

Link pushed open their unlatched door, walking inside to find Sheik sitting on the floor, stuffing things into an open pack in front of him. Addica was helping him, silently transporting shirts and other bits of clothing one at a time from an open drawer in the small dresser to the floor next to Sheik. The little boy smiled softly up at Link when he entered.

Link marveled for a second that Addica had actually smiled. They'd only had him about a week. Was his young mind beginning to forget? Sheik noticed him standing there and turned his head, looking over his shoulder at him silently before continuing with his work.

"Sheik, what are you doing?" Link asked, walking around him and sitting on the bed, facing him.

"Packing," Sheik answered matter-of-factly, not looking up as he took a folded tan shirt from Addica.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"I finally got Duncan to tell me where that woman who deserted from the army is hiding now. A little farming village about three days southeast of here. I'm going to make a trip there and pay her a visit," he said flatly.

Link closed his eyes, letting his own pack slide off his shoulders. Sheik had been badgering Duncan about that ever since the day after they had gotten back. He'd hoped Sheik hadn't been serious about... well, about what he had been talking about doing, but of course that was stupid. If Sheik was anything, he was stubborn. And he was hurt, and angry... And Link couldn't blame him for feeling that way, but if he let Sheik go and have his revenge, could he forgive _himself_? He didn't want Sheik to turn down that path.

His eyes opened again. "Sheik, I don't think you should go," he said simply, crossing his arms and watching as Sheik stopped moving on the floor.

Body still frozen, Sheik's eyes slid up to meet with Link's; he looked at him with a mixture of anger and betrayal. "Link, please don't do this." He looked away again, still stuffing things into the pack.

"Sheik, I know you're angry, and I know that you feel that a part of this is your fault, because you've been with me instead of with your people, but you and I both know that revenge is a dangerous thing. Revenge means you're just sinking down to their level, and I don't want—."

"Link, just _stop_. I'm only doing what's right. It's what they deserve."

"They may deserve a lot of things, but that doesn't make what you're doing right."

That stopped him. He turned his head to the side, watching Addica, who had stopped bringing him clothes and was flipping through the pages of one of Link's books that he'd found in the drawer, his brow creased in confusion and lips moving as he tried to make sense of the Hylian words that to him, were gibberish.

Link finally had a hold, so he kept right on. "You don't want to become like them. They may be soldiers who take orders, but they had a choice not to kill, and they still did. You have the same choice. Those soldiers deserve a lot, Sheik; it was a terrible thing they did, but if you go after them, the King will only send more in their place. And... I mean, who are we to decide who should live and die?"

Sheik got to his feet, passing Link on the bed and walking over to stare out the window, hugging himself with a sallow expression reflected in the glass.

Link got up and followed him, wrapping his arms around his waist snugly and resting his head on his back. He felt more than heard Sheik sigh, and then the older boy was turning in Link's arms, and they were facing each other, and his face was so, so conflicted. Link reached a hand up, stroking through the wheaten strands of his hair until he made it to the back of his neck, where he pulled him down gently, bringing their foreheads together. "Hasn't there been enough killing?" he murmured softly,

Sheik started to pull away. "They—."

Link brought him back down, looking deep into his eyes, into his very soul. "Hasn't there been enough hurting? I hate to say it, because what they did is wrong. So, so wrong, but those soldiers... they have families too. Why tear more bonds apart?"

"Link, they cannot be forgiven! You didn't walk into that camp, you didn't see what I did! They dug a shallow _trench_ and they dumped all of their bodies into it!" Sheik breathed in deeply, turning his head away so that his temple now rested on Link's forehead.

"I'm not asking you to forgive them, Sheik." Link's voice sounded contrite even to his own ear. "But this fighting has to stop. If you fight, and you fight, and you fight, before long there will be no one left."

"The winner is left, _nali_."

"Do you honestly think there is going to be a winner in all this?" Link had always looked up to Sheik; his love had always been the smart, level-headed one. Was this what grief really did to a person? Did it take away that which made someone who they were and replace it with... this?

Sheik dropped his head down against Link's shoulder. "The Sheikah must be free," he said simply.

"There has to be enough of you left to enjoy that freedom. The Hylians outnumber the Sheikah by more than a few," Link reminded gently.

"We fight better," Sheik insisted. "It would not be so difficult."

Link's hand came up to stroke the hair at the nape of his neck gently. "We're not talking about a game of chess here, love, these are _people_. You'd be taking away fathers and brothers and sisters, boys like me and my brothers—."

"They cast the first stone," Sheik growled.

"Love, how can I get you to see?" Link groaned, turning his head very slightly and planting a kiss right above the pointed shell of Sheik's ear. "Things are different in war, but that does not justify it. It does not make it right." He looked away, out the window. "The Hylians, when they went into that Sheikah camp, they were not all that different from the men that drove my family out of our home. The men that _raped_ my mother and then _killed_ her and left her on the _floor_. They killed my sister, and I don't even know how she died, Sheik, but I can't imagine it's much different from how they took our mother. The Hylians were the barbarians in this story, _they_ were the ones to rip families apart and drive us from our homes, and I don't want the Sheikah to take on that roll in the next. I don't want _you_ to take on that role."

Sheik pulled back to look at Link, his stern red eyes uncharacteristically full of sorrow. "What if they will not hear peace?"

Link shook his head slowly, never breaking eye contact. "I cannot say, but where does revenge ever really get you, love?"

"Link, I—." Sheik looked away. He looked so lost. "I—." Link could guess a million reasons as to why Sheik was struggling for something to say. How would he ever even get the opportunity to speak peace between the two races? No one would listen to him. He'd have to be a king to ever utter a word that mattered a lick to any of the Hylians or Terminans.

"I could write a letter... to Zelda." Sheik pursed his lips, staring meaningfully at Link.

Link nodded, catching on. Could Princess Zelda perhaps play a role in settling the mess of races and freeing the Sheikah? She had the voice to make others listen, and Sheik had the drive. Maybe... maybe that was all they needed.

"People will listen to her, and more importantly, she will listen to you," Link agreed.

"I can't stop this and change everything, _nali_, but maybe she can. If it will put you at ease, I will... I will take this course of action instead."

Link's eyes sparkled and danced in the dim. "I'm so proud of you Sheik."

Sheik smiled faintly, looking down at the floor. "Nothing is set in stone, _lalu_. My actions will await her reply."

Link didn't really like the sound of that, but at least he had gotten somewhere with the stubborn Sheikah. "It's a big step in the right direction. I'm grateful that you're giving some thought to this, rather than just running off and doing something st—." Link caught himself before he said something offensive. "Something you might regret," he finished instead. "It's a good thing I caught you in the act, or I may have never seen you again."

"You doubt me too often," Sheik snorted, pulling back a bit and gripping Link's waist with his long fingers. His grin—though he tried to hide it—was unmistakable.

"You give me so much reason to worry," Link pointed out lowly, letting his hands slide up Sheik's chest until he reached his shoulders.

He chuckled coolly, ruby eyes turning dangerously, lusciously dark. "_Nali_, can we—?"

Link smiled as his cheeks flushed a rose's breath. "Yes. But it's early, so we—."

Link had barely time for thought before Sheik's lips were locked tightly around his, and his tongue was tracing the outline of his mouth. "Sheik?" Link breathed as the older boy backed him up to the bed. His voice was muffled by the tangle of lips and teeth and tongue and his head was swimming as quick, capable hands un-tucked his shirt from his trousers.

"Yes?" Sheik purred.

"Addica's a bit young to be watching this, isn't he?" Link gasped, heat and desire rising in him like a boiling fire.

Sheik immediately stopped, pulling his hand out from under Link's shirt, and backed away half a step, staring down at the little boy in question.

The child was staring up at them in confusion, his ruby eyes as big as walnuts. With a sly look on his face, Sheik said something to him, his exotic accent only fueling the fire inside Link. Good goddesses, he sounded like a god when he spoke his native tongue.

Addica's nose scrunched up almost comically as Sheik finished talking. He looked aghast, and almost panicked.

"What did you say to him?" Link huffed, curious, but still so in need to be touched, forget who was awake.

Sheik's eyes gleamed when he turned them back on Link. "I asked him if he would like a kiss as well," he snickered.

Link took one more look at Addica's horrified expression and burst out laughing, holding his sides. "Oh—goddesses, I—Sheik, oh my goodness!" He squeezed his eyes shut as he bent over, holding his sides.

Sheik laughed along in a very Sheikah-esque manner, chuckling lightly. "He doesn't seem very taken with the idea, does he?" he commented.

Link desperately tried to compose himself, mostly failing as he burst apart with fierce fits of giggles. He crouched down, holding his arms out for Addica. The boy seemed extremely skeptical as to whether or not he'd be kissed if he got any closer, but it didn't take him long to walk into Link's arms and be lifted up. Link waited until Addica was distracted with watching Sheik, and then he swooped in and pecked a kiss on his cheek. The little boy's head whirled around as he wiped at his cheek, looking almost betrayed, until a small smile graced his tiny, pink lips.

"Could you tell him that I'm going to leave him with Davin or Rosalyn or somebody for the night?"

Sheik smiled at the two of them, seeming genuinely happy in this pocket of respite that the three of them had found. He spoke to Addica, who looked confused, but nodded his head, allowing himself to be carried out of the room by Link. "I'll be waiting, _nali," _Sheik called after them.

"_Nali_?" Addica asked, staring at Link's face as he carried him down the stairs.

"_Nali_," Link agreed, smiling. He racked his brain for the few words he'd picked up a couple of days ago when Sheik had been trying to teach him basic Sheikahn. "_Ton... lalu Sheik._"

* * *

"May we talk for a moment more?"

Sheik pulled his mouth away from Link's, looking at him with a bemused, slightly lusty expression. They both sat on the edge of the bed. Link had brought Addica to Davin, who was still at the table, tailoring that jacket, and then come back upstairs to Sheik. They had talked about trivial things until it had gotten dark, and after that, they couldn't keep their hands off of each other any longer.

"What is it?"

Best just to be out with it. "I talked to my brother," Link said simply.

Sheik raised his brow in confusion. "Which brother?"

"Davin. Because I know he has more experience with... _this_ than either of us do, and I never see him limping around, if you know what I mean."

Sheik sat up straighter, and Link couldn't quite discern the meaning behind his expression.

"You may recall how the last two times we've tried this have been really painful for me?"

Sheik blinked, looking away.

Link sighed, tracing a finger over the line leading from Sheik's jawbone down to his neck, following it further down to the hollow of his throat. "It wasn't my intention to make you feel bad. I thought that if I talked to Davin, he might be able to tell me what it is we're doing wrong."

"I'm sorry, Link," was all Sheik said.

"No, that's not what this is about," Link said with impatience. "It's both of our fault for jumping into it without knowing. But I picked up something today on the market stair." Link stood up and walked over to his pack, fishing out the bottle of oil Davin had suggested them using. Link smiled, tossing the bottle across the room to Sheik, who caught it with one hand.

He raised an eyebrow ever so high. "What's this?" he asked.

"I'll give you a hint: it's not for cooking." Link grinned, blushing.

Sheik's eyebrows knitted together before the spark of recognition showed in his eyes and they shot up his forehead. "_Oh_," he breathed, slack-jawed, and looking most unlike a Sheikah. His eyes shot up to meet with Link's. "I guess that would help, wouldn't it?" He grinned, all lop-sided, and Link's heart skipped a beat, because he just looked so beautiful.

"There's more," Link whispered, sliding his trousers down and leaving them in a small pile on the floor. His undershorts left him chilly in the small room.

Sheik watched him silently as Link approached the bed and slid over him, scooting the older boy backwards so Link could seat himself in between his legs. Their lips met again without any more speech, and it was so slow and sweet that it was hard to imagine they had been arguing not all that long ago. Sometimes it just felt like the goddesses had placed Sheik in the world so that he could be there for Link, and Link for him. Because now Sheik's tongue was sliding smoothly and hotly over his, and they were being so intimate, but it still felt so safe. Link felt more comfortable with Sheik than he did with anyone. This was loving and being loved. It was giving and taking. It was fire and ice, and Link could barely keep up with the raw feeling behind it all.

"_Nali_," Sheik breathed, burying his fingers deep within the bed of Link's hair. He broke his mouth away, licking his lips as he stared up at Link. "I—what do I do, _lalu_?"

Link pulled back a bit, mouth open as he panted over Sheik. He was on his hands and knees, hovering over the older boy. He pulled his shirt roughly over his head, tousling his hair in the process. "Take your clothes of," he murmured, climbing off of Sheik and reaching across the bed to where the oil was laying, discarded. He looked up, because Sheik was undressing, and hey, he didn't want to miss that.

Sheik grinned back and climbed over him, pushing him down into the old mattress with his weight, sliding his knee up along Link's inner thigh. Their lips met again, still so sweet and wonderful. Link could definitely feel a protruding object rubbing against his leg as they moved.

In a latch-ditch effort, before he completely forgot who he was and what he was doing in the heat of the passion, Link pulled back from Sheik's mouth and popped the top off the bottle. He reached down and took Sheik's hand, taking it and dipping a few of his fingers in the oil. Sheik pulled his hand back, biting his lip and looking at Link with a quizzical expression. Link smiled, wiggling out of his undershorts as best as he could while underneath Sheik.

He took a deep breath. Here it was. They were going to do this again, and despite what Davin had said, unease was still gnawing in the pit of his belly. He watched a few beads of oil slide down Sheik's wrist, blinking as he let himself smile. It was going to be alright, of course it was. _Everything_. He could see Sheik's baffled expression past his knees, and he had to laugh, because Sheik just _never_ looked like that, and it was so damn endearing.

"Go ahead," Link murmured, letting go of his wrist and laying his head back against the pillow.

Sheik glanced up at Link, and then at his oily fingers, and then back at Link. Okay, see? It was all okay, because he was allowing himself to relax and what Sheik was doing down thereit really didn't feel so bad.

He had climbed up over Link again, his hand still down between them, and their lips had met with that same slow heat. Slow kisses on the lips and nose and eyes, and Link was completely at ease and feeling so wonderful. And then the calm shattered. He squirmed underneath Sheik, biting into his shoulder to keep from making a very loud, very suggestive noise.

Sheik hissed quietly at the bite, but didn't stop his dancing fingers inside Link as he stretched his neck over to lap his tongue against Link's collarbone.

"Sheik," Link panted, prying open his eyes to stare hazily at the side of Sheik's head. He saw a tiny pink tongue flitting out, caressing his skin. The tongue paused as he spoke, and the head turned, and then dark, smoldering eyes of red fire were watching him. "Please," he whispered. "It's alright, please, now, Sheik, I—."

Suddenly there was nothing inside him, and it felt strange, leaving his body wanting. Sheik took more of the oil and sat back, doing something with it that Link couldn't see, but boy were his arms moving. The bottle clattered onto the nightstand, just managing to stay upright, and then Sheik's arms were holding him aloft over Link. The younger boy found himself staring up into his eyes, and he was just so, so happy they had found a way to make this work, because he loved Sheik with all his life, and it broke his heart when he wasn't able to enjoy this special, intimate thing with him.

Sheik shifted up, and then slowly pushed into Link. Link gasped, willing himself to calm down and take low, deep breaths as Sheik's chest slid all the way up against his. He felt full, and warm, and so, so good.

"Okay?" Sheik whispered to him, leaning down to kiss his temple.

"Oh, goddesses. Okay," Link assured, hands gripping into the sheets as Sheik started to move. Goddesses, it was a world of difference that he was feeling. He didn't even have to concentrate with all his might on feeling only the pleasure because the pain was so minimal that it wasn't even an afterthought. It wasn't pain, just a strange, faint tightness. And as Sheik brushed that spot inside him again and again, and started making _noises_, the over-sensitizing rush of it all had him making loud noises that he knew he shouldn't be making, because they were most definitely being heard right now. But he found little reason to care as Sheik's hand spread down over his stomach and wrapped its way around him, stroking in time to their movements. It was a symphony of sensations and pleasure, and as Sheik drove him down into the mattress, Link reached that beautiful, wonderful point, Sheik following not long after. Link's whole body shuttered against Sheik's with the over-sensation of it.

Sheik collapsed onto Link, breathing heavily in his ear. Link turned his head and nipped at his earlobe before kissing it and sighing. "Love, that was..." Link swallowed before trying again. "Was..." He gave up. "I love you."

Sheik purred into his ear, rolling off of him and to the side, his arms wrapping around Link and pulling their bodies softly together. "I love you as well, Link-_nali_. Through whatever happens, I ask that you remember that."

Link wrinkled his nose as he looked out into the darkness of the room. The way Sheik had said that made him feel uneasy, but he could spare little room in his mind for thoughts like that at the moment. He would never tire of this, ever.

"We have to go to Jasten's wedding tomorrow," Link commented as they lay there in the dark, falling asleep together. "My older brother is getting married." He honestly couldn't grasp what exactly that entailed.

"_Yata_," Sheik murmured against his skin.

Link smiled. "'_Yata,' _what does that mean?"

"It means 'yes,' _lalu_."

"I told Addica that I loved you earlier."

"In Sheikahn?"

"Yes. '_Ton lalu _Sheik.'"

Sheik laughed lightly. "So you _were_ listening to me that day. That's very good, _nali_."

"Teach me something else." Despite the calm now, having their bodies pressed up against one another was still incredibly stirring.

It was quiet for a moment before Sheik spoke. "_Jol hart atti dah hai."_

Link tried to puzzle it out, but couldn't get anywhere with it. "What does it mean?"

Sheik laughed. "Come here and kiss me."

Link tried to resist, because he really had wanted to learn something new, but the thought was just too tempting. He rolled further into Sheik's arms, pressing their naked chests together, and let Sheik kiss him into sleep.

* * *

"I just don't understand how I ended up being your 'lady in waiting,'" Link mumbled as he cinched the laces of Rosalyn's dress tighter against the pale fabric of the corset she was wearing. "I mean, why didn't Anju do it?"

"She's busy with the food," Sheik commented offhandedly as he lounged in the small armchair beside the bed, gazing at his fingernails as if he were bored.

Link scowled at him, holding a pin between his teeth as he finished lacing the back of her dress and tied the remaining ribbon in a bow. "What I wouldn't give to have Haera here right now," he muttered, sliding the pin into place and fastening it. "Only a sister knows how to do these things properly."

"Well, I'll be your sister before long." Rosalyn let out a nervous peal of laughter. Nerves were getting to the girl. Sheik glanced up at her, smiling to himself about something only he knew.

"Is that too tight?" Link asked, standing back and flipping the folds of Rosalyn's skirt so that it flared out around the stool she was standing on.

The girl tried a shuddering breath, shaking her head. "No, Link, it's a lovely fit."

Link reached down and fussed with the skirt a bit more. "Anju really did a beautiful job with it, especially on such short notice. She—."

A loud yawn from Sheik caused Link to pause and scowl over at him. The Sheikah had slouched even more down into the chair, and he was picking at a thread on his sleeve, looking glum. Link stared on sadly. Sheik had been a little down ever since early that morning, when he'd written that letter to Zelda and walked down to the post box to send it to her. Link was just thrilled that he hadn't run off in the night. Despite the talk they'd had, he was still afraid that it would happen; that he'd wake up one of those days and be alone in their bed.

"Link, _nali_, while I'm flattered that you're so enamored with me today, I think Rosalyn still needs your help," Sheik said dryly, quirking one eyebrow up at him.

Link shook his head. "Right, sorry. Your hair, let's do that next."

Rosalyn took Link's hand and gingerly stepped off the stool, her heels clicking on the wooden floor. Link looked around, unsure of where to put her until he just stepped onto the stool himself, raising himself above her head just far enough to do her hair. He began braiding it into sections, then twirling those sections into a bun on her head.

"You should be doing this," Link muttered to Sheik. "You wouldn't need the stool."

"Link, I grew up in a desert, kicking the snot out of other people. You honestly think I know how to braid hair?"

"Yes, I do think you know how," Link shot back. "You seem to know about everything else."

"I'd offer to leave, since I'm apparently irritating you, but I doubt I'd be wanted downstairs," Sheik drawled. "If I stepped one foot down there right now, your father would probably have me castrated."

A dark grin slowly spread across Link's face. "Kick him where you know it hurts."

Rosalyn reached back and swatted his thigh. "Link!"

"I'm not apologizing for that!" Link yelled back.

There was a quiet knock on the door. Link went into red-alert mode, preparing to jump in front of Rosalyn and shield her from view.

"It's Davin," the door said. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, I was afraid you were Jas." Link called back, using a hairpin on Rosalyn's newest braid.

Davin entered the room, sulking, and sat down on the bed. Sheik watched him sit down leadenly without a word. Link was concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I just wanted to get away from downstairs," Davin answered, leaning his chin on his hand. "Dad won't even speak to me, and Luca went out to buy something for Anju, and Kafei's at the mayor's house. Jas is trying to be nice to dad, so he's just sort of agreeing with everything he says, and I just couldn't take it anymore."

Link glanced over Rosalyn's head at Sheik, who was still quietly watching Davin. "Yeah, I know a bit about what you mean. He hasn't talked to me all week. The last time he said a word to me was before Sheik and I went to find Addica. Where is he, by the way?" Link said, looking down at the floor.

"Behind my chair," Sheik answered. "He's been hiding back there with one of your books for the better part of an hour."

Davin leaned back on the bed far enough to glance behind the chair. "Sure enough," he affirmed.

Link frowned. "Why is he hiding?"

"He likes to hide." Sheik muttered, looking away at the floor.

Link frowned. Sheik was so irritable... "I love you," he tried, locking eyes with him.

And there it was, a hint of a smile at the Sheikah's lips. "_Ton lalu fara, nali_."

Link smiled back before turing to check the small, colorful clock hanging on the wall. "Oh my goddesses, we've got less than an hour. Davin, give me a hand up here!"

* * *

Central Clock Town's Square had been cleared for Jasten and Rosalyn's wedding. They'd all had only a few days' notice from the bride and the groom, so they'd made the best with the little time and resources they had. There was a white linen carpet leading up to a small altar—a few flat crates covered by another white cloth—just in front of the massive stone clock, and it was ringed in a small collection of flowers. The arrangement was simple, yet lovely. This was the first event—gathering of happiness, whatever—that Link had experienced in years.

A few rows of chairs had been set out on either side of the carpet. All of the family, including Sheik and Luca, sat in the front row, and a dozen or so of Clock Town's residents sat further back, all happily watching a couple become one.

Link sat next to Sheik, holding his hand, while Luca sat on his other side,, across the aisle. Addica was next to Sheik, fidgeting in his seat as young ones do. Brock sat next to Davin, stiff and quiet, the tendons in his neck in stark relief against his taut skin. Kafei and Anju sat further back.

Jasten stood on the small altar, next to Clock Town's Mayor, looking handsome but nervous in his black dress jacket and pants.

A few musicians struck up a soft tune as everyone's heads turned to the back of the white carpet, where Rosalyn stood, looking stunning in her hand-made dress. Her raven tresses that weren't caught up in a braid framed her blushing face, and her lashes kissed the tops of her cheeks each time she blinked her eyes.

She walked down the short aisle until she reached the altar, where Jasten held out a hand for her. She stepped up, beaning at him with pure adoration in her eyes.

Link squeezed Sheik's hand tightly as the Mayor started to speak. The words were lost on him because all he could concentrate on was Sheik's thumb, which was lightly stroking over his palm as they clutched fingers. Link turned his head slightly, watching the Sheikah from out of the corner of his eye. His lips were pursed, but his eyes were bright, and goddesses, if he wasn't the most handsome person that Link had ever laid eyes on.

It was then that Sheik noticed Link's stare. He rolled his eyes playfully, as if to say '_staring again, are we?'_ But his eyes were bright and mischievous. He raised his eyebrow, and then gestured with his head to the mayor, who was walking Jasten and Rosalyn through their vows.

Link cocked his head. What did Sheik mean?

The grin grew wider, and once again, Sheik gestured with his head to the mayor and happy couple. He squeezed Link's hand.

_Oh_! Could—could that be it? Link smiled sheepishly, but nodded.

'_I love you_.' Sheik mouthed, squeezing his hand once more before turning back to watch.

"I do," Said Rosalyn, love and affection pouring from every bit of her as she gazed at Jasten in what might have been marvel.

"I do," said Jasten, a deep, strong conviction in his voice.

Link lay his head on Sheik's shoulder and sighed contentedly.

"So was that you wanting to say vows to me, at the wedding?" Link asked into the quiet room. It had been a long day: a morning wedding to prepare for, and then an afternoon and evening-long celebration, which Link had enjoyed, because holy goddesses, his brother had gotten married!

"I simply wanted you to know that were it allowed, I would be up there saying those things to _you_, _lalu_." Sheik answered quietly from Addica's cot, where he was trying to get the little boy to close his eyes.

Link felt his chest swell. Why had he been worrying? Goddesses, of course Sheik wasn't going anywhere. He had promised he'd wait to see what Zelda said in response to the letter. He'd said that he didn't want to leave Link; that since they loved and had given themselves to each other, it would be wrong to abandon him. Everything would be alright. Zelda would write back, and maybe they would even get an escort to Castle Town to speak with her.

"I'd get up and say vows with you even though it's not allowed. It's the commitment that counts, not whether it's seen as lawful. Besides, who cares about what anybody says? I'll marry you any day, Sheik."

"We're a little young, _nali,"_ Sheik laughed, standing up from the cot and sitting next to Link on the bed.

"I'm only two years younger than Jasten! Less than that, actually! And I'm almost seventeen, in a couple more weeks!"

"Two seventeen-year-olds getting married would be folly. Two aren't supposed to marry until the man can support the woman."

"Jasten's staying here, you know. Kafei's talked to the Mayor, and he's leasing them an empty building so they can open up their own business."

"Where are they getting the money for that?" Sheik scoffed.

'Well-wishers from the town."

"Goddesses," Sheik snorted. "I'm afraid we'll just have to get jobs when the time comes, because I can assure you _we_ won't have any benefactors."

Link reached out and stroked up his leg, but made himself stop before he went too far. Addica was in the room, after all. "I'm content with that," he murmured. "As far as I'm concerned, all I need to build a good life is you."

Sheik bit his lip and looked back down at his lap. "I know what you mean." He stretched up and blew out the candle on the nightstand. "Come on, _nali_, let's... let's get some rest."

When Link woke up that morning, he did not see an empty side of the bed. It was not empty because there was a note in it.

_Link-nali,_

_I've thought a lot about all you've said. I know where that woman is, and I need to visit her. I will not harm her unless I feel I should, or if she does indeed deserve to die, but at the very least I need some information out of her. It's a little more than three days on foot to reach the village she's in. I'd take Epona to be faster, but she won't let me ride her without you. I'll be back as soon as I can, but this is one thing that had to be done, even though you can't understand why. I'm sorry that I had to betray your trust, but this needed done._

_Sheik._

* * *

**Sooo... yeah, Sheik went bye-bye anyways, despite all of Link's words of wisdom. And what exactly could that entail? Well, you'll see, but I can assure you it won't be fluffy.**


	25. Forgive

**Here is the next chapter for your reading pleasure! Don't shoot me after reading it, okay? Okay, it's a deal.**

******Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

******The Sheikah**

* * *

******Chapter Twenty-Five: Forgive**

He could see her there, across the tiny, muddied street, working up a sweat on her brow. Sheik had trouble picturing this woman as a warrior who had aided in the killing of hundreds of his people. She just looked so simple and unimportant there, breaking her back. Her mucking out pig stalls was a rather fitting sight.

Sheik shuddered, getting that inexplicable feeling that you get when you are being watched by someone. He cast a look back over his shoulder, confirming his suspicions. There was a bearded man in his mid-thirties, covertly watching Sheik from across the tiny village. He'd put his nose down, shuffling by a few steps, occasionally talking to a villager that passed by him. To anyone with an untrained eye, he would look like he belonged there; perhaps that's why the villagers only gave him strange looks rather than driving him out. But Sheik had been trained to observe _everything_, and that man was _not_ a resident of the village.

Sheik narrowed his eyes and turned back around, hunching his shoulders against the cold. The man could wait. He had a duty to see to.

This village was the smallest Sheik had ever seen; it was even smaller than Link's tiny village home. Only about six houses lined the one dirt road. There was one molding old barn at the end of the street, and farmland for as far as the eye could see, ending at the foot of some rolling hills in the distance. It was the small stature of the village that made Sheik stick out like a sore thumb, and he knew that. He knew that despite the inconspicuously old and worn clothes he was wearing, this place was so small that him merely being a stranger was enough to make everyone wonder.

But he sat atop a short gate and watched, not mindful of any of the stares, or of that man's patient watchfulness. He wondered at how the woman was able to attain work and lodging so easily in the close-knit community. With the way they were all giving him the stink-eye, he was surprised that they didn't murder anybody who set foot on their one precious dirt road.

Sheik hadn't decided if he was going to kill the woman yet. Link's words rang in his ears; he just couldn't shake them. He felt... dirty, in a way, for doing what Link had asked him not to. Everything his _nali_ had said had been sound, but... the goddesses, as well as right and wrong be damned, because Sheik could never have just sat in that inn, waiting for Zelda's reply like the same do-nothing he had been when the slaughter had been taking place. So he'd left in the night, waking up and sliding out of Link's warm embrace and grabbing the pack that was already stuffed with the provisions he'd need. And then he'd written that note... But he needed to make his own decisions, especially about this. That moment that he'd looked back at Link's curled up form, smothered in blankets and smiling that silly, wistful grin of his even through sleep, Sheik almost gave up and laid back down. Almost.

He jumped off of the gate he'd been sitting on and approached the small lean-to sty that the woman was sweating away in, mucking the thing out as a half a dozen pigs squealed around her as she worked.

"Hello, miss," he murmured, reaching forward and placing his hand lightly on her shoulder.

She whirled around to face him as soon as his he made contact, throwing his hand as her chest heaved. Dark brown, sweaty hair framed her face. She looked young, maybe in her twenties.

"Can I help you?" she asked warily, not meeting his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, I'm lost!" Sheik pulled on the most boyish smile he could muster, trying to exude vulnerability. He knew it would work; after all, why in the world wouldn't it? He was a skinny seventeen-year-old boy. He could play vulnerable like he could play a harp. He shrugged and smiled nervously. "I was trying to get to Amarith, I don't know if you've heard of it. I know it's south of here, but I'm all turned around. Could you help me?" He raised his eyebrows hopefully.

The woman pursed her lips, thinking long before speaking. "I haven't lived here long."

Sheik stopped himself from sneering, trying to look disappointed instead. "So you don't know at all?"

"It's a one or two week walk on foot, if you go over those hills and follow the edge of the forest south." Sheik turned and looked at the hills behind them. Sheik followed her gaze, studying the hills in the distance with disinterest.

"Why are you here, Sheikah?"

So she knew who he was. Sheik wasn't really surprised, but he could allow that sneer that was fighting to be shown out now, couldn't he? He looked back at her calmly, speaking in a level tone that wouldn't attract any unwanted attention. "You know what I am, then. Is that why you couldn't look me in the eyes just now? Are you ashamed of what you've done?"

The woman just looked tired. She sighed and leaned on her pitchfork, watching him with an expression that made it seem like she really just didn't care. "Who are you, kid? You can't be from that camp, so who are you?"

Sheik's upper lip curled back at the callous way she mentioned the place of all those dead Sheikah. "I don't think that matters."

"How did you know where to look for me? I know the contingent I was serving with is looking for me, but I didn't know a Sheikah was."

"You may remember a strange young man, with hair that looks like it's made of three different colors, who probably told you something about your future."

"The Earl of Algeia? All he told me was that that kid..." She trailed off, looking at the ground guiltily.

"The boy is safe." Sheik said quietly, meeting her eyes when she looked up at him with a gasp.

"He survived? Goddesses, I was so worried..." The expression of relief on her face was almost comical in retrospect to what she'd done.

Sheik snorted. "Worried about him? After you'd just finished killing his parents and all his kin?"

The woman didn't say anything; just closed her eyes and sighed.

"His name is Addica, and he's five and a half years old, I asked him. He's incredibly bright, just like all of the others of his and my kin that you and your soldier-friends murdered." She winced. "He's healing. He actually smiled the other day." Sheik was glad that this was causing her pain to hear.

She set her jaw. "So are you here to kill me, or just spit out a list of all my regrets in my face?"

Sheik bared his teeth. "You honestly categorize what you took part in as a regret? You should file it under _atrocity_! I can barely look at you without feeling sick!"

"Look, kid-."

"Don't you even _speak_ to me!" Sheik whispered harshly, glancing back over his shoulder to find that that same man was still watching him from across the village. He disregarded it again, turning back to the woman to dish out another helping of guilt in her direction.

"Look, I'm-."

"Shut up!" Sheik hissed. "Do you know that both my mother and father were killed that day? You all killed them!" There was no doubt in Sheik's mind of what he was going to do now. Based on this bitch's complete lack of regret for the innocents she'd helped to murder, he had absolutely no reservations now. His mind was focused on one and only one task.

"I never wanted to be a soldier..." she whispered, looking down at her pitchfork. "My family was poor. I grew up in the Ordon region, and I had a lot of brothers and sisters, and I was the oldest. So I had to get out because they couldn't afford to feed all of us. I became a soldier because I didn't know what else to do. I didn't have anywhere to go."

"Nothing you say will make me pity you." Sheik growled. "You're less than human: you're a monster. So are you going to come with me peacefully or do I have to take care of this here, in front of everyone?"

She sighed. "I think I probably knew it would come to something like this. What we did couldn't stay a secret forever. I'll-." There were tears forming in her eyes now. "I'll come with you. I don't want to scare these poor people with whatever you're going to do with me."

"It makes it easier, that you're cooperating," Sheik said as she dropped the pitchfork and rung her hands out on her soiled tunic. "I'm on a schedule, I can't be long. I've promised to keep this brief." She started to follow him down the dirt road and out of the village, northward. People were staring, but none made any move to stop them. All Sheik had to do was get her far enough away to take care of this peacefully. Well, maybe 'quietly' was a better word for the situation.

"Anybody who you promised to come back to won't want to be anywhere near you when they find out this is what you've done."

Sheik stopped walking. Link knew why he was here. He looked down, picking up his pace again, trying not to let it show how the woman's words had affected him. Link would... he would... Sheik didn't know what would happen between them now, honestly. He hadn't considered until now that his leaving... was like a betrayal.

Sheik didn't want to give up Link. The boy was his... his everything. He was all Sheik had in the world anymore. But Link was his own person, and he felt his own feelings. Of course this would make him feel hurt and angry. The question was... how much, and could it be mended?

* * *

Link found himself sitting up out and getting onto his feet in a bit of a daze after he'd crumpled the note and threw it onto the nightstand. Addica was breathing loudly still sound asleep on his cot, but Link couldn't bring himself to go wake him up for breakfast. No, not yet.

He rubbed his forehead roughly, and then put both of his hands on his cheeks, grateful for the cool touch of his fingers on his heated skin. He stared at the door, throat hurting and feeling raw from him trying to hold in his tears. What the hell was he supposed to do? Go downstairs and face his family and all the others like nothing was different? Like everything hadn't changed? He was _so_ fucking angry! Betrayal stung in his heart like a wasp. Had Sheik been planning to skip off in the middle of the night the whole time? _Oh, yes, Link, I'd love to get married to you if I could. But I can't because I'm leaving for a couple days to go about and kill people! Oh, and it'll be against your wishes, and I'm going to lead you to believe that I'm taking the higher road and sneak out while you're still sleeping in our bed._

Goddesses be damned! Why did he have to leave? What happened to all they'd talked about? What about-?

_You know what? No._ Link wasn't going to put himself through any of this. Sheik had left him after Link had practically begged him to take the higher road. So Sheik could just go and do whatever he wanted, because he obviously didn't care about Link's opinion, or even what was _right_! And now it felt like there was no more trust to be had.

Link about-faced, walking over to the cot and sitting down next to Addica, gently nudging him awake.

"Good morning," Link said quietly when his two huge, glossy red eyes blinked open slowly, staring up at him in confusion. Link was unhappy that looking at Addica's crimson eyes reminded him so of Sheik's. There was a moment of panic on Addica's part, where he whirled his head about and started to whimper a little bit, but this was a pretty normal reaction for him when waking up.

"Shhh," Link cooed tiredly. "_Mala_, remember? _Mala_." He rubbed the tiny boy's back soothingly. He stood up once the boy had calmed and went over to the dresser, pulling out a clean shirt from the shopping expedition Sheik and he had gone on to get Addica something to wear. Link frowned as he fished for pants, uncomfortable with the warm, fuzziness of that memory when he was so hurt-_so angry_!

He'd gotten Addica into clean clothes and then changed himself when a light rap on his door interrupted the quiet of the room. "Come in," Link mumbled. He was just sitting on the bed, staring off into space blankly. He hadn't even considered going downstairs yet.

Luca popped his head in the door, glancing around. "Hey, just wondering if everything's alright, because you and Sheik are usually up by now, and—," Luca paused, stepping into the room. "Hey, are you okay? Where's Sheik? Davin wanted to see what your plan for the day was, because he wanted to... Link, what's wrong?"

Link tried to fight it, but his face crumpled into an ugly mess, and he had to hide it in his hands to muffle the hideous sobs racking out of his lungs.

"Whoa! Whoa, Link, kiddo, what's going on?" Luca sat down on the bed next to him, wrapping both his arms around his shoulders. "Sheik a bit rough with you last night?" he laughed heartily. Despite the obvious severity of the situation, Luca still found the need to crack a terrible joke.

"That's not—I'm..." Link gurgled, managing at least a glare at him through his watery eyes.

Addica was sitting on his cot, watching them both with a confused look on his face, and his usual big, sad eyes.

"Davin!" Luca yelled, rubbing Link's back lightly. "Davin, love, please get in here!"

A brown head of hair ducked itself into the room. "What in the name of the goddesses is going on in here? Link, what's—?"

"I don't know what's wrong!" Luca said as Davin sat down on the other side of Link. "I just walked in here, and he looked sad, and then he started sobbing!"

Link watched through his stinging eyes as Davin looked around the room. It seemed he was catching on sooner than Luca. "Link, where's Sheik?"

"I don't know!" Link wiped at his eyes furiously, stumbling out from between the two of them. He breathed in, shaking his head. "I don't know, he left in the middle of the night. He put a note on his pillow..." Link flashed an irritated glance over at said note, lying crumpled on the nightstand.

Davin looked over and picked up the note, un-crumpling and scanning over it with his reserved emerald eyes. When he was finished, he just looked up at Link, something unfathomable in his expression. It was clear he was a little confused, but he didn't ask mountains of questions, which was nice.

"It says he'll be back," he tried, watching for Link's reaction.

"He wasn't supposed to go in the first place!" Link muttered, meeting his brother's eyes evenly. "He—he lied to me, Dav."

"That's... Well, that's not good, Link."

"Absolutely not, I would know," Luca nearly spat, his mood having changed faster than what would be considered normal. Link looked at him in surprise, and then to Davin, who was looking at his lover with something akin to empathy. Link wondered what story lay hidden there.

"What are you going to do?" Davin asked, looking from Luca back to Link, crumpling the note again and setting it back in its place.

"I don't know. I don't know what the thing to do here is." Link bit his lip, casting his eyes up and out the window at the bright, winter day outside.

"What do you _want _to do, Link?" Davin asked this time.

"I—I don't know." Link hung his head again. "I'm angry."

Luca snorted. "That's more than understandable, little guy."

"I guess I'll figure it out when he gets back. _If_ he gets back. Goddesses, that _idiot_! I told him not to go, and now he's probably going to get himself killed!"

"Well, he's not defenseless. At least we know he'll be able to look after himself," Davin said, cocking his head as he stared off at the floor.

Link snorted out a bitter laugh. "You'd think that, but then he has an entire contingent of soldiers out there looking for anything suspicious! And what he's doing is _pretty_ suspicious!"

"He's hell-bent on revenge," Davin commented, reaching out across the bed and taking Luca's hand as Link watched. "And you said you did all you could to stop him?"

"Apart from chaining him to the bed," Link muttered, frowning when Luca chuckled at his words, back to his easy-going self already.

"Then at the very least, make sure you don't make yourself feel guilty over this, because it's not your fault."

"I swear to the goddesses I'm going to kill him," Link hissed. "How does he expect me to react to this? Just stay home and make him cakes and pies, the little wife, awaiting his return with a... a fluttering heart, or something stupid and poetic like that? Absolutely not! That's not what I am!"

"Well, tell him that when he gets back," Luca commented, gesturing into the air. "It'll probably do the kid some good to get a perspective other than his own, especially when every action and decision he makes clearly affects you as well."

"I'm going to _kick him in the shin_ when he gets back!" Link hissed.

"What is with all the yelling in here?" A deep voice came from the open doorframe, staring in at all of them with a resigned, yet cautious expression.

Link turned around slowly, staring at his father standing there in the doorway. Link's eyebrow raised so high up on his forehead that it felt like it was trying to fly right off and into the room. But he was _that_ surprised. _Brock_ had initiated a conversation with his two gay sons? And one of said son's lovers? What in the name of the goddesses was going on? Had the wedding put him in a good mood, or...?

"Sheik," Link regained his sense, anger and irritation claiming hold of him again. "We're talking about Sheik." Brock? Oh no, he didn't scare Link, not anymore. Link would kick him in the shin as well; he had no reservations if his father tried to start something.

Both of Brock's eyebrows shot up his forehead, and he didn't look very different form Link right then, apart from the brown hair. They were father and son, after all. "Where's he gone?"

"He—he left to... to do something I asked him not to," Link answered carefully.

"What, looking for all those soldiers who killed his people?" Brock asked levelly, looking almost pleased. "To be honest, I didn't expect him to stay long once we all got here. I don't think his claws can sink as deep when your family is around."

Link stole a glance back at Davin, who looked almost offended. Now, Davin had been one of the 'golden children' until he'd been reacquainted with Luca, and so he hadn't gotten much of the short end of Brock's stick when they were younger, but he was no stranger to how cold the man had been to both of them recently. Although it seemed he was the same old, prejudiced Brock, the fact that he was _willingly speaking_ to them was impressive.

Sensing that something was wrong, Addica chose that moment to hop up from his cot and run over to Link, hiding behind his trousers as usual. He'd do that whenever he sensed tension in the room; hide behind either Link or Sheik.

Brock glanced down at the tiny little boy, and then back up to Link, and even back at Davin. "That kid's still around?" He sounded almost surprised.

"Where else is he going to go?" Link shot back defensively. Addica tugged on his pants, making him look down. The little boy's arms were raised up to him, asking to be picked up. Link bent down and brought him into his arms, the kid's head falling onto his shoulder with the tiniest of sighs.

Brock was looking at Addica almost as if it pained him. "Are you alright?" Link asked, wary.

Brock wiped at his eyes, trying to be discrete about it and failing miserably. "Every time I see that child around here, I—it just reminds me that... He got to be saved, and your mother and sister didn't. I—," Brock looked up at them all again; his eyes look conflicted. But then he pulled back into himself, like he usually did. "Jasten needs help setting up that new building the mayor let him lease. I promised I'd give him a hand. I don't really care what the rest of you all do."

"Sure, dad." Davin stood up, walking to stand beside Link. "Go on, we understand."

Brock looked at Davin like he was some weird insect he'd found on the ground. "Davin, you—. I can't, I'm sorry. I failed with you, and I just can't speak to you yet." Brock glanced back at Luca while he was talking, eyeing him with narrowed eyes. "Three out of my four children have gone wrong somewhere. I know Haera passed away, but you know how she always was with boys, too flirtatious. It makes me wonder what great wrong I did that the goddesses think needs punishing." He sighed, shaking his head. "I've got to go." With that, he turned back out of the room.

"Who spit in his coffee this morning?" Davin muttered. "Or every morning, for that matter, because apparently I'm one of his greatest mistakes." He glanced at Link. "Now I guess I sort of know how you felt when you left. At least he hasn't hit me; not since I was really young, anyways."

Link tried to concentrate on the feeling of Addica kneading the collar of his shirt as he thought, hoping it would steady his mind. "He's become almost... pathetic."

"I can't bring myself to feel sorry for a man whom regards me as a mistake," Davin agreed. He turned and looked back at Luca, a tiny smile gracing his lips. "I don't regret much, after all." It was clear that he was talking about his and Luca's coming together again.

"Oh, Dav," Luca laughed, standing up and crossing the room, pulling Davin into his arms and crushing his mouth in a kiss that even Link was surprised at. Addica squealed in horror and buried his face in Link's neck.

Link could hear Davin's breathing escalate from where he was standing. His hands pressed against Luca's chest, seeking balance as Luca leaned him back, nearly lifting Link's older brother off of his feet. "Uh..." Link gaped, wanting so badly to peel his eyes away, but finding himself unable to.

"Luca—." Davin murmured against Luca's lips, turning his face away and smiling apologetically at Link. "Sorry. This has to be kind of weird, I bet."

"Link doesn't think it's weird, he gets it," Luca argued, standing them back up straight again. "Besides, we had to watch Sheik suck his lips off when we first got here, remember? And you two _can_ be kind of loud at night. You see, the funny thing is, you and Sheik mostly get up to stuff on the nights Davin and I are just trying to sleep, and—."

"Oh goddesses," Davin covered his face with his hands. "Luca—just stop. _Stop_, _please_!"

"Er..." Link wanted to run out the door and forget this conversation forever.

"Okay, okay, I guess I can see why he would think it was weird," Luca relented. "I forget sometimes that nobody knew that I had you to myself for a good long couple of years when we were younger. Oh, goddesses, Davin, remember that time when Link almost found us? Your dad had just yelled at him or something, and he came running into the barn, and we had barely enough time to get our clothes back on before—."

"I really don't want to know the end of this story," Link interrupted, feeling queasy.

* * *

Sheik had felt dirty before. Well, he felt positively sick now. His dagger was cleaned, and he was a good ten minutes' walk away from where he'd done it, but he... he may have overestimated himself. Because the fact of the matter was that until that day, Sheik hadn't been sure if he'd actually ever killed anybody. The soldiers he had stabbed and fought in his and Link's flight through the sewers those few months ago could have lived or died; it could have gone either way in his mind, because he hadn't stayed long enough to find out. He wasn't sure if the wounds he'd dealt were fatal or not, and he preferred to keep it ambiguous in his mind. It allowed him to feel courageous but also allowed him to reason away the guilt when it came.

There would be no more of that, because he certainly _had_ killed this time. He'd be back to Link by tomorrow evening, and yet apprehension pulled at his gut, adding to his queasiness. What was wrong with him? He'd been trained all his life to have the ability to take a life when it was needed! But he'd always been told the skills were for during some sort of battle situation, sometime when it was absolutely necessary.

Had it been absolutely necessary this time? No...

Had it been just? Maybe not.

Did he feel better because of it? No, he felt horrid.

Link had been right. Sheik felt like he'd just made the biggest mistake of his life. Why in the name of the goddesses did he ever think that doing that would make him feel _better_? It had been so unnecessary, and he could see that clearly now.

Sheik wiped angrily at his eyes and broke into a run, desperate to create more distance between himself and what he'd done. He prayed as he ran; he prayed that Link could forgive him.

* * *

"Link!" Sheik nearly kicked down the door of the Stock Pot Inn in his hurry to get inside. He burst into the building, heaving air through his lungs. Anju gaped at him as if he were a madman. Sheik suspected it was because of his appearance, because was still wearing the ratty farm clothes, and he had been running so much in the past twenty four hours that he was drenched and caked in several layers of sweat. He'd walked when exhaustion overtook him, and he hadn't stopped to sleep. He needed to _see_ those blue eyes to convince himself that everything was alright. That even though they were in the beginning stages of a war, Link and he would be _all right_.

"Link!" he cried again, wiping an enormous amount of sweat off of his forehead. "Link!" He whirled around, closing in on Anju. She pulled back, flattening herself against the far wall, even though the front counter stood between them. "Where is he?" Sheik asked desperately.

"I—in your room."

Sheik didn't even stay to apologize for whatever trauma he'd probably just caused that sweet woman. He leapt up the stairs and hurled himself around the corner, not even knocking as he threw open the door to his and Link's room.

"What the _fuck_, _Sheik_?!" Link cried in fear, pressed against the far wall, in the corner of the bed. "Goddesses, you scared the life out of me!" He slowly relaxed, coming away from the wall and sitting on his knees on the bed. "I—."

Sheik ignored him, flying onto the bed and burying Link with his body, smothering him as effectively as he could. "Link-," he kissed him between each word. "I—am—so—sorry. You were right, and I should have known, and I—am—so—damn—sorry."

"Ew, gross!" Link hissed. "Goddesses, you're all sweaty! Get off of me!'

Sheik flipped off of the bed, looking at Link helplessly. "Link, really, how could I have been so _stupid_?"

Link frowned, looking at Sheik with those blue eyes of his. "I've been asking myself that a lot these past couple of days."

Sheik's heart sunk, and his expression must have showed it.

"Sheik, how could you do that?" Link stood up, looking at him with betrayal in his eyes, exactly what Sheik had feared he'd see.

"I was... blind," Sheik sputtered.

Link snorted. "I'll say. What'd you think would happen, Sheik? That you would come back and I'd welcome you with open arms?"

"But I _see_ now, Link! I can _see_ what you saw when you told me those things!"

"Did you kill her?" Link asked flatly.

"What?" Sheik was taken off guard.

"Did. You. Kill. Her?" Link asked again, slower this time. His lip was half way to curling back in... what? Anger? Disgust? Little, timid, vulnerable Link now looked like the scariest person in the world.

Sheik swallowed. "I..."

"It's not a difficult question, Sheik. Just answer me," Link growled.

"I... I... did." Sheik winced when Link looked away at the ground, his face contorting into this little ball of anger and hurt. The younger boy pushed past him, keeping his head down as he walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Sheik asked, watching him go with lead in his chest.

Link glanced back at him, holding the doorframe with one hand as he paused. "I can't talk to you right now, Sheik."

"Why... Why not?" Sheik asked, swallowing roughly again.

Link got this look of disappointment in his eyes, which stung the worst yet. "Because I don't know what to say to you."

"Okay," Sheik murmured. "Link-." Link looked at him neutrally. "I'm sorry. Please, please believe me. You're all that I have."

"I know, Sheik," Link answered, looking down the hall rather than at him. "I need time away from you to think." Link disappeared out the door.

Sheik hurt all over, inside and out. He walked over to the bed in a daze and sat down, staring at the worn wooden flooring. What he been expecting? To run in here and find Link waiting for him with open arms and then they would kiss and have makeup sex? Obviously that was absurd, but a piece of Sheik's mind had been hoping for at least his acceptance, despite its... impossibility. Or at least some understanding. Sheik hung his head.

He stayed there, just sitting and letting his mind slow to a numbing crawl. After several minutes, he stood up and lifted up the pitcher of water sitting next to the basin on the table, heading downstairs to fill it. He needed to wash his hair, and he felt absolutely disgusting all over, covered in dry, sticky sweat. A bath would pass the time, at the very least.

* * *

"Colonel, sir, the soldiers are awaiting your orders," Ryan said, approaching Colonel Ballen from behind. Ryan was the link between the rest of the soldiers and their very quiet, very reserved commander.

All of the men and women had been on edge ever since they'd carried out their orders regarding the Rebel's encampment, and many were uncomfortable that they were once again chasing down another Sheikah. A young one, too.

"Sir?" Ryan tried, taking a few steps closer. The Colonel was looking into the distance, at the small town situated right in the middle of nowhere. They were so close to the border that Ryan could practically smell his home on the wind. Goddesses, he missed it. He missed his wife Mary, and their two-year-old son, Peter. Well, the boy was two when Ryan had left, called away on duty once again. His third birthday had come and gone a few months ago. Ryan had celebrated alone in his tent with a loaf of sweet bread—his makeshift birthday cake—that he had traded one of the women his knitted cap for.

"Major," the Colonel interrupted Ryan's reminiscing with a loud bark of his rank, turning around to face him.

"Colonel, sir?" Ryan asked, almost hesitantly. There was a strange look in the Colonel's eyes. It was not fierce, and it was not proud. He looked almost weary.

"Ryan," the Colonel said quieter, grabbing Ryan's shoulder and pulling him close. "You want to go home, don't you? Back to your family?"

Ryan nodded uncomfortably as the Colonel placed an awkward arm over his shoulder. "I want this rebellion to be over, sir, but I fear that may be a long way off, if the reports from the north are anything to go by."

"Ah, yes. The desert Sheikah, they do pose a bit of the problem for the country, don't they?" The Colonel sighed grimly. "What do you suggest is the best course of action to take now, then? I can't send in very many of you, or the entire town will go into a panic. The Terminan government is already angry about Hylian soldiers on their land, and if we don't do this carefully, they may consider it an act of war. Think of what the King will do to us if we start a war with Termina over trying to fish one straggling Sheikah out of a tiny little town."

"Sir, do we know if there is more than one?" Ryan asked, looking sideways at the Colonel, who was frowning at the ground.

"We do not," he answered glumly, turning them both so that they were facing the town's stone walls again, miles in the distance.

"Colonel, sir, I could do as I did in that farming village when we were closing in on Private Risa, when we first saw the boy." Ryan scratched the thin beard he'd adopted as a soldier, since shaving on the road was such a hassle. "I would take others with me of course, only a few. Covertness is the way to go about this, I think, sir."

The Colonel pursed his lips. "I would agree, Major. Take four other men with you, and leave your armor behind. Dress inconspicuously."

"Go now, sir?" Ryan asked.

The Colonel released Ryan from under his arm, tapping his lip with tented fingers. He nodded. "Go now."

* * *

"Link, may I please come in?" Sheik tapped lightly on the door across the hall from theirs. Link was in his brother's room. He was unsure whether Davin and Luca were in there as well, because no sound was coming from the room. But Sheik knew for sure that Link and Addica were in there, because a few hours after taking his bath, Sheik had opened the door and walked out into the hall to find Link standing there, holding Addica in his arms, and looking like a deer caught by a hunter's bow. Sheik tried to talk, but he immediately pushed past Sheik into his brother's room across the hall. And that's where they were now.

Sheik knocked again. "Link, _lalu_, please, can we just _talk _to each other?" He waited, but still no answer. "Look, I realize I was wrong now. I'm so sorry I didn't realize that sooner, but—."

Sheik's head shot up. Something was going on downstairs. There was a loud knocking, and then a loud crashing sound. Sheik could hear the doorknob of the inn's front door hit the other wall as it was flung open.

He held his breath, listening. Anju was still down there. "What in the name of the goddesses do you men think you're doing?" she demanded.

"Oh goddesses..." Sheik heard a different voice. He hadn't heard Kafei come in, but he was definitely down there.

"Madam, we have reason to believe that you're harboring a Sheikah here. We request that you give him up to us freely, so we can all avoid a big mess."

"What?" Anju asked, sounding confused. "What use would the Terminan government have for—?"

"Madame, please—."

"No!" Anju shrieked, the shrillness of her voice reaching all the way up the stairs. "No, you Hylian _brutes_ have no authority here! You don't just get to march into another country and start ordering around its citizens! Kafei's been my husband for _years_, and he's done _nothing wrong!"_

"Madame, we haven't come for your husband," the man who was speaking sounded tired. "We... wait..." There was a moment of silence, and then the man barked an order. "Check him!"

"No!" Anju shrieked again, and there were sounds of a skirmish.

"He's one of 'em, Major!" A different voice called out, another man.

"Goddesses, lady," the original voice said. "How many are you hiding here?"

"You can't take him!" Anju was crying loudly now, pleading. "He's my husband, please, he's done nothing wrong!"

"Take him, and search upstairs!" the first man ordered.

"Shit!" Sheik hissed, heart pounding as he knocked on the door, quieter this time. "Link," he whispered, frantically casting a look over his shoulder. There were footsteps on the stairs... "Link, let me in!"

The door opened, and Sheik threw himself inside, kicking it shut behind him and flipping the lock without a second thought. He whirled his head around wildly until he found Link, who was standing to the side of the door with wide eyes, Addica in his arms.

"Sheik!" Addcia cried worriedly, his head resting on Link's shoulder.

"What is it?" Link was breathing deeply, and there were tear tracks on his face.

"Soldiers, they're coming up here _now_!" Sheik informed him hurriedly, already running over to the window and throwing it open.

"_What_?!" Link cried, running over to where Sheik was already half way through the window. There was a loud bang on the door, as if someone was kicking it. It happened again, and again.

BANG! "Link, I have to go," Sheik whispered, sitting in the windowsill with his legs dangling on the outside.

BANG! Link was in hysterics. "Sheik, I—." BANG!

"Hush!" Sheik bit, and Link was quiet at once, tears dripping down his face. BANG! They met each other's eyes and just looked at one another for a split second. "_Nali, _please forgive me?" BANG! "Please. I'm going. I'll come back at night if I can manage to stay hidden, I—."

* * *

BANG! The door flew inwards, and three big men came crashing into the room, immediately running for Sheik, who threw himself out of the window. But it was too late, because one of them had grabbed his arm just as he dropped out, and was hauling him, kicking and screaming, back in through the window while another man ran to help him.

"Check that one!" One of the men pulling Sheik back through the window ordered, and the third man looked over at Link, who shrank back against the bed as he approached.

The man grabbed his chin, peering closely into his eyes. Link tried to pull away, but the man held him tightly. "This one's clean," he called back, letting him go just as the other two got Sheik's feet back in through the window, and threw him on the floor.

Addica gripped onto Link's shoulders almost painfully and buried his face in Link's neck, hiding himself.

Sheik shot up from the floor where he'd been thrown, diving to get out through the demolished door, but the man who had been checking Link stepped in his way. Sheik ducked down to the left of him and sprang up, kicking him in the face as he flipped over to the side in a hand spring, trying to dart out behind the dazed soldier.

But one of the other two men grabbed his foot just as it was disappearing through the doorway, and threw him to the ground, dragging him back into the room. Sheik curled his body upward, using the leg the man was holding as a pulley to fold himself practically in half and bight down on the man's wrist.

The second man groaned in pain, flinging Sheik off of him and to the ground. Link watched form the bed in horror as Sheik's head hit the floor as he was thrown down. He stumbled back up in a daze and staggered as quick as he could over to the door.

But the third man was ready, aiming a precise blow with the pommel of his sword to Sheik's head, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.

"No!" Link screamed, dropping Addica on the bed—who buried his face in the blankets, curling away from the confrontation and covering his ears—and threw himself at the three men.

He made to punch the closest one in his jaw, but the man caught his fist and pushed him back onto the bed without any effort, looking at him sadly. "Sorry, kid," he murmured, turning back to the others. One of the men bent down and threw Sheik onto his shoulder, allowing his two companions to exit before him.

The last Link saw of Sheik was his slumped, lifeless body, hanging over the broad shoulder of that soldier, before they turned the corner and took him out of sight.

Link glanced back at Addica, who was still curled up in his little ball, trying so hard to hide from the world. He was safe. The soldiers had forgotten to check him.

Link jumped off of the bed and ran out the door, throwing himself down the stairs. He ran into Anju, who was standing at the foot of the stair helplessly, bawling as the men tied up a struggling Kafei and a lifeless Sheik.

Link—frozen in horror—watched as the five men did the unthinkable. One of them stood and watched the other four, his arms crossed as he glanced out the open door. He seemed to be the leader.

"Major," the man who had carried Sheik down the stairs picked up the younger Sheikah's unconscious head, turning it to face their leader. The so-called Major turned and looked down, scratching his beard. "Who does this one look like to you?"

The Major seemed to stop and think about it for a moment before a light of recognition came into his eyes. "I wonder..." he murmured, looking back out the door. "We must have a wanted poster back at the camp to compare him to. If that _is_ who we think it is, then we're in for some good luck, finally." He walked out the door. "Come on, men."

"You can't do this!" Anju screamed.

The same man picked up Sheik again, letting his bound hands fall down his back limply. Link took a step forward, reaching out.

"Hold it, boy." One of the men who were holding down a struggling Kafei put out an arm, blocking his path. "There's nothing you can do." He and the other man pushed Kafei out the door, and then the last guy took one final glance back at them before following his comrades.

Link stood there still, his arm still partially raised, as if Sheik were still there, and he would smile and take Link's hand and pull them together, and kiss all their troubles away. "I forgive you," Link whispered, collapsing to the ground.

* * *

**I am so sorry for doing this to all of you, and even more sorry for leaving it on a cliffhanger. I do that a lot, I realize. I'm sorry! The next chapter should be up within two weeks!**

**And guys, don't be afraid to review! I will not judge you, I will probably just fangirl all over you with my feels. Because I gave MYSELF feels this chapter. D: Thanks for reading. You people get me!**


	26. Going Under

**The same deal from the last chapter stands for this one. No shooting me, no matter how much you'd like to!**

**I worked my bum off to get this up sooner than I'd said I would to you, because I promised one of my lovely readers that I would hurry up already! :D And as a result, I only did a once-over editing-wise, so bear with me.**

**********Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**  


* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Going Under**

The moment Sheik opened his eyes, he immediately wished he hadn't.

His head felt like it had been split open.

His arms ached.

His back felt like it had been hit by a bull.

His eyes were sticky, the sleep in them crusted over several times. Slowly, Sheik lifted his head and looked around. It was night, and it was _fucking cold_. He lay in the dirt, tossed on the ground like a rag doll. His arms were numb from being trapped underneath his back for however long he had been lying there; his hands were bound behind his back. Slowly, he made his sore muscles move, groaning as he looked around at his surroundings.

There was a slumped form lying against him in the dirt. Sheik could just make out highlights of purple hair in the faint moonlight. As quietly as he could, he wiggled his body away from Kafei, nudging the older Sheikah awake with his shoulder.

"Whaa—?" Kafei mumbled out, his voice tired and confused. He groaned, picking up his head, which had bits of dirt and rocks all stuck in it. He looked around them with foggy eyes. Eyes that widened when they saw Sheik. "You're awake?" Kafei whispered. "Finally!"

"What's going on?" Sheik hissed back.

Kafei blinked at him in the darkness. "Do you not remember? They must have hit you pretty hard..."

Sheik closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. "I... I remember soldiers coming into the inn, and Link..." Sheik's eyes shot open wide as it all came rushing back to him. "I was trying to get out the window when I heard them, but they dragged me back in, and I tried to fight, but one of them hit my head, and I... I passed out."

"You've been out for almost a whole day. They took us yesterday, around twilight." Kafei wiggled over onto his side, looking back over his shoulder. "They're taking us north, back into Hyrule. I heard them talking, Sheik. They know who you are."

Sheik's brow furrowed. "What?"

"They know that you're the Sheikah who supposedly escaped from the castle!" Kafei whispered. "They've been talking about what to do with you, and this evening, before we stopped for the night, they agreed to take you back into Castle Town for a public execution. They sent a man ahead with a letter for the king explaining everything about you."

Sheik looked back over his shoulder. Hundreds of tiny pup tents dotted the frosting grass, multiplying in the distance. "How many are there?" he whispered, turning back to Kafei.

"I'd wager six hundred or so, in all. But yesterday about half of them broke off and went on ahead of us."

"Hey!" Heavy footsteps approached on the frozen ground. Sheik strained to see in the darkness, but he couldn't make out any discernible features of whoever it was that was approaching them. It was just an anonymous soldier. "The blonde one's awake!" He reached them; squatting down next to Sheik and picking him up off the ground with hardly any effort.

"Put me down!" Sheik shouted, struggling against his bonds in the man's arms. His feet were tied together as well, at the ankles, rendering him completely helpless. But he kicked out in the soldier's arms as if the bonds weren't even there.

"Goddesses, you're a wily little one, aren't you?" the soldier muttered, giving up on carrying Sheik comfortably and throwing him over his shoulder instead.

"Put me down this _instant!_" Sheik roared again, his face turning red from the exertion as well as the cold.

"Keep it down, you little twit! You'll wake the entire camp!" The soldier barked, pushing Sheik further up so that his shoulder was jabbing into his stomach, cutting off his air supply.

Sheik filled his lungs with air as best he could, and then shouted as loud as he could. "Fayo hai gano lëtallen toro, në tön flaug mayna flo faren throlín!" The frustration of the situation caused Sheik's native language to come bellowing out. It was the language he'd first learned as a child, after all, and he was more comfortable speaking Sheikahn than Hylian. It was a knee jerk reaction that he used the wrong language to threaten to rip out the guard's throat if he didn't put him down.

He was hefted off of the soldier's shoulder and back into his arms, but his victory was short lived, because the man's cold, grubby hand clamped down over his mouth, muting him. He was carried the rest of the way, still struggling, into the one tent larger than the others in the sea of canvas.

He blinked as the man pushed past the flaps, because wow, it was bright in there. At least ten candles were lined along a flat part of the ground, illuminating the tent almost as if it were day, when compared to the blackness outside. There were four men inside the large ten, arguing over a set of maps that were set up on a large rock in the middle of the space. When the soldier carrying him entered and announced himself, they all went quiet and stared at him.

Sheik glared back for a long moment before opening his mouth and biting down with all of his might on the soldier's hand. The man roared in pain, throwing Sheik onto the ground. The wind was knocked out of him as he landed painfully on his arm staring up at the canvas ceiling of the tent for a moment, dazed. He struggled to sit up, glaring at them all with as much hatred as he could muster into a single expression. "Untie. Me. Now." He said through his teeth.

A man stepped forward, past all the others. He was tall and fairly thin for a soldier; in his mid-thirties with a thin, dark beard. He seemed oddly familiar, but Sheik couldn't put his finger on where he had seen him before.

"You've been a big spot of trouble for the kingdom of Hyrule for such a small boy." The man commented, gazing down at Sheik with disinterest.

Sheik glared back up at him and did not say a word.

A look of tired amusement flashed onto the soldier's face. "You do not recognize me? I thought you'd spotted me in the village."

Sheik blinked, willing his mind to _think_ and remember the man. It did not sit well with him that though he could not recognize this soldier, the man seemed to know of him well enough. And the 'village?' What was with that? Sheik didn't...

And then it hit. Sitting on that gate in that tiny farming town, watching the woman whose name he'd never bothered to learn, feeling as if he were being watched. And then he'd turned around, and... The strange man. The man who looked like he didn't belong. Sheik had forgotten him in all that had happened.

The same soldier had been watching him, and he let out a small chuckle when he saw the look of recognition spread on Sheik's face. "I'm there in your memories, aren't I?"

Sheik bared his teeth at him, narrowing his eyes.

The man sighed, stepping closer to him so that Sheik had to crane his neck just to look up at him. Sheik hated it. "I have some questions for you, Sheikah. Firstly, I—."

"Major!" A stern voice barked, and a tall figure passed through the flaps of the tent.

"Colonel!" The bearded man saluted him. Backing away from Sheik. Sheik strained to turn around and glare haughtily at whoever this important man was. The 'colonel' in question was tall and strong, with a shock of white hair cut in a severe line over his forehead.

"Lieutenant Hummel told me that the Castle Sheikah was awake." The important man said, taking his gloves off finger by finger as he spoke, stuffing them into his pockets when he was done.

"Aye, he's here, sir!" The bearded man saluted again, stepping back.

"At ease, Ryan," the Colonel stepped around to stand before Sheik, crossing his arms as he looked down at him as if he were some mind-bending enigma. "Hello, Sheikah," he said in a warm voice that despite its tone, felt like shards of ice in the air between them. "Do you have a name?"

Sheik just sat on the ground and glared up at him in fierce defiance. He wasn't going to talk unless it was to insult one of those spineless murderers.

The Colonel nudged Sheik with his foot, knocking him back onto his side. Sheik's limbs were beginning to ache. He tried not to groan as he swung his body forward, willing it to sit up once more.

"A name!" the Colonel barked, squatting down next to Sheik, leaning in close and peering at him as if he were a caged animal.

No good was going to come out of Sheik staying silent. They might even torture him, and Sheik wanted to avoid that if he could. He would _not_ succumb to torture, _ever_, but it was smart to avoid it nonetheless. So fine, he would play their game. He would speak.

"Why do you want to know my name?" he asked, voice coming out hoarse as he lifted his eyes to meet the Colonel's.

"Name." the Colonel repeated, face blank.

They already knew who he was, didn't they? Kafei said that they knew he was the Sheikah who had escaped from the castle, so there wouldn't be any point in lying. "Sheik," he finally said, still glaring into the colonel's eyes. Looking away would show weakness, and he was not about to give any of those brutes the advantage of the mind. That was the one thing he still had.

"Sheik?" he asked, grinning widely. "Sheik the Sheikah? Were they running out of names when you were born, boy?" All the soldiers in the tent laughed. Sheik snorted, rolling his eyes.

"What's your name, then?" he shot back over the laughter.

"That doesn't matter to you, child. Let me tell you what my job with you is. I am to take you back into Hyrule, back into Castle Town, where they'll execute you in the courtyard for treason. You being the infamous 'escaped Sheikah,' _I_ believe, and I'm sure His Highness will agree when he reads my letter, that a public execution is befitting for your crimes. Perhaps it will even scare off the desert tribes, and—."

"Desert tribes?" Sheik perked up. "The desert tribes have begun to rebel?"

The Colonel looked more than displeased about Sheik speaking out of turn. "Messengers sent to me have told me that the Sheikah of the desert have formed an army in protest to our... cleansing of Termina." His upper lip quirked up. "I don't exactly know what they expect to accomplish. The Hylian army more than outnumbers them, and—."

"Have you ever been to the desert?" Sheik interrupted, staring directly up into the man's cold eyes.

He looked disgusted at the thought. "Of course not, why would I ever want to go there?"

Sheik smirked. "Then you do not know the way we're raised there. Were there to be a battle, one Sheikah could take down ten Hylian soldiers, easily."

The Colonel had the nerve to laugh at him. A couple of his men joined in, all laughing at Sheik. He didn't understand what could _possibly_ be so funny about what he'd said, but he didn't ask them or protest. He merely sat there, glaring defiantly up at all of them. "Boy..." the Colonel laughed. "Then tell me why it was so laughably easy to apprehend you and your friend?"

Sheik bristled at his statement. "No man or woman can fight at full capacity when they're hurled onto a floor several times! Had I been on my feet when your men entered that room, they all would have fallen!" Sheik snarled, jerking forward into the man's face so he could aim well enough to spit at his feet.

Some of the other soldiers in the room rushed to reprimand Sheik for the show of disrespect, but the Colonel raised one hand sharply into the air, and they all fell back. "You know," he murmured, pulling out of his crouch and back to his full height. "I think I actually believe you, Sheikah. You were raised to protect the Princess, after all."

Sheik snorted. "Your Princess is the one who set me free."

Sheik was thrown to the side when the Colonel unexpectedly backhanded him across the jaw. Cheek stinging like fire, he fell in the dirt, coughing as some of it entered his mouth. His hair covered his eyes and he couldn't see. "And she gave me money from the treasury," he coughed, eyes squeezed shut. "Probably more than you make in a year, _Colonel_!"

A pair of big, meaty hands clamped down on his arms, raising him several feet into the air. Sheik kicked wildly with his bound feet, managing to land a clumsy strike on the man's thigh, just short of Sheik's target. The Colonel shook him violently, and then a splitting pain blossomed across his face as the man head-butted him, throwing him back to the ground.

Sheik landed on his back, his bound hands pressing painfully into his spine. The pain thundering across his forehead was mind-numbing. He couldn't think past it, because it felt like his skull was being rent down the middle. He could hear several of the soldiers laughing, but when he tried to open his eyes, he saw only bright flashes of color, like a painting across the surface of his eyes. It was beautiful. He watched it for a moment, entranced, before it started to clear and he could see shapes again.

"So, Sheik of the Sheikah..." The Colonel sneered, pacing in front of Sheik. "Who were those people who were hiding you?"

"You cannot punish them," Sheik said with more conviction then he was beginning to feel. "They are in Termina. You have no authority there."

"Some of my men tell me that there was a Hylian." he commented, grinning devilishly when he saw the flash of uncertainty on Sheik's face. "We have plenty of authority over _him_. We could... capture him; charge him with harboring and aiding a rebel Sheikah. The penalty for that could be death."

"Why do you want him when you have me?" Sheik asked carefully, turning onto his side and watching the man pace over him carefully.

"My men tell me it was a young boy, this Hylian. They almost mistook him for one of you, they tell me, because he had yellow hair just like your lot."

"I don't see how this is prevalent," Sheik spat, desperate to get the subject off of Link.

"What was he to you, Sheikah?"

"He was nothing," Sheik lied. "I used him, to get out of Hyrule safely."

The man smiled wickedly. "The fact that you just lied to me speaks differently. I don't really care whose company you kept, Sheikah. My point is simply this: answer my questions, and the boy can go on living happily in Termina. Refuse to answer and I will send my men back to that piss-poor town and he will share your fate."

Words could not describe how much Sheik hated this man. He had been largely responsible for the murder of the rebel Sheikah, and now he was threatening the life of his _nali_. Sheik vowed to himself there on the spot that he would find a way to kill him. Killing the woman hadn't made him feel any better, and there was no guaranteeing killing the colonel would either, but Sheik didn't care. He threatened Link. That meant he died.

"What do you want to know?" he asked quietly.

"Who is the purple-haired Sheikah we found at the inn?"

"I don't know much of him," Sheik answered wearily. "All I know is he served Hyrule for a time before abandoning his duties and fleeing to Termina, much as I did. He married and settled down."

"What is his name?" the man pressed.

"Kafei."

The Colonel looked at him as if he were an ant he wished to crush beneath his boot before turning his back on him. "Major," he barked, and the same bearded man stepped forward again, saluting.

"Colonel!" he shouted.

"Major Ryan, take this one back outside. It'll be dawn soon, and he and the other need to get their rest. We have a lot of ground to cover."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Ryan barked before walking over and scooping Sheik up in his arms, like one would a small child. He pushed past the tent flaps, bringing them back out into the cool night air. Sheik knew there was a short walk before they would get back to Kafei, so he set his mind to thinking on over-drive. The man who was holding him... his name was Ryan, and he was young. That was virtually all Sheik knew about him. But perhaps it was enough.

"You seem young for a Major," he commented quietly, watching the dark world pass him by as the man walked.

"Well, I've worked my way up," he muttered, looking straight ahead.

Sheik waited a few seconds before starting again from a different angle. "You must have a family, back in Hyrule?"

"Aye, a wife and a son."

"A son?" Sheik asked, hopeful.

"He turned three a few months back."

"But you were not there for him?" Sheik guessed.

Ryan didn't give an answer.

So Sheik tried once again. What did he have to lose, after all? "So you were the one in the village? Why didn't you stop me from killing her? She was one of yours, after all."

"Private Risa was... compromised."

"She compromised herself by deserting," Sheik guessed.

"Yes."

"So you were there to kill her anyways? Why let me do the dirty work? I'm only a boy, after all. Just a boy."

"You're not that young." The Major snorted.

"How old do you think I am, Ryan?" Sheik asked, hoping the use of the man's name would knock some humanity into him. "I'm only seventeen. I was sent out of the desert—out of my home—on my seventeenth birthday, to go to the castle." Sheik saw Ryan's face pale in the moonlight as he looked up to gauge his reaction to his words. "What if," Sheik continued, "On your son's seventeenth birthday, he was made to leave his home to go fight? Now, granted, I wasn't going to fight in a war, but just think about how that would make you feel were it your own boy."

They were just about to the place where Kafei lay curled up on the ground against the cold.

"I live and breathe, just like you, Ryan." Sheik murmured as Ryan bent down and set him on the frozen ground next to Kafei. "I want and I love, just the same as you. Would you want the lot I had been dealt?"

Sheik couldn't quite make out the Major's face from the few feet that separated them. "In Hyrule, when growing up, we're taught about a little thing called duty. I would have stuck to my duty, no matter what."

Sheik swallowed, nervous about speaking in a way that would anger the fragile bond he'd formed with this man. "Even if it would mean never getting to love your wife? Never getting to hold her, or kiss her, or make love to her? What if she lived so close that you had to look at her nearly every day, knowing you could never have her unless you abandoned your duty. The same duty that'd you'd been taught since childhood to uphold."

Sheik heard Ryan sigh deeply before turning around. "Goodnight, Sheik," he called behind him.

"What was that all about?" Kafei asked in the darkness.

"They only wanted to know trivial things," Sheik said in a hushed whisper. "But we're going to have to find a way to escape, if we want to keep our lives, because they plan to kill both of us when we arrive back in Castle Town."

"Escape? Do you even think that's possible, Sheik? There's so many of them..."

"Oh, it's possible," Sheik muttered, turning over onto his side, straining his neck so that he could look up at the stars. "I'll find a way. If we don't freeze to death out here tonight, I'll find a way to get us both out of here."

Kafei was quiet for a minute before he answered. "I believe you. But... Sheik?"

"What?"

"About the freezing to death part. Well, there's frost on the ground, and that's actually quite a likely possibility. So... keeping in mind that you have a boyfriend and I have a wife, I think we should... err... hold each other."

Sheik blinked, surprised. Well, what he said made sense.

"I've been latching onto you last the last two nights, actually." Kafei laughed nervously. "Sorry..."

"That's alright," Sheik murmured, rolling over into Kafei's body and allowing the older Sheikah to loop his bound arms around his neck, bringing their bodies closer together. Sheik buried his face in Kafei's neck, breathing in deeply of his warm scent. He tried to imagine Kafei as Link, but it just felt wrong, because Sheik still didn't know whether Link had forgiven him or not. It was quite possible that Link would never want to be held by him like that again.

* * *

White noise.

That's what Link heard.

That's what he felt.

He remembered Davin and Luca getting home from the bar late at night, finding the door busted open and him lying there on the floor, passed out and asleep. Luca had scooped him up off the floor like an infant and carried him up to his bed. Link remembered crying and shaking, and falling asleep with Davin holding him.

And then he'd opened his eyes the next morning, and he'd felt the arms wrapped around him, and for a moment he thought it had all been just a bad dream. He was waking up, the morning after the wedding, and Sheik was there. He hadn't gone anywhere, on any stupid drive for revenge. They were waiting for Zelda's reply to come by post.

And then reality came crashing down. Those arms weren't Sheik's, and they weren't going to be. Because Sheik was more than likely dead.

Link bolted out of bed, struggling to get away from Davin, tripping over the blankets tangled around his feet in his haste. Because while in sleep his hold had been a comfort, it felt like a cruel mockery now.

And now it was later that morning. Link was sitting at the kitchen table. Addica was talking to him quietly, but Link had no earthly idea what the child was saying. The name 'Sheik' came up once or twice, so Link just assumed that Addica was asking where he was. He didn't know how or what to tell the child, in more ways than one.

Duncan sat at the table with him, but Link wasn't paying him any attention. He supposed the Earl was just sitting there to offer some comfort, but Link felt little from his presence. Davin and Luca had gone to make preparations and get supplies. They told Link that they all were going to be leaving within the next couple of days; going back up north. Link wasn't sure why. What was up north that was worth going to? Up north was where the war would be the worst, if the Sheikah tribes in the desert reacted to the murder of the rebels in Termina.

But they were adamant. They had been talking about it that morning as they'd all sat around the breakfast table—Anju had cooked for them, but then resigned herself to sitting on the stool behind the counter up front and knitting. Around the time Davin and Luca had left, she had come into the kitchen and asked Duncan to keep an eye on things. She was going to go to her uncle, the mayor, and see if they couldn't get the Terminan government involved in this abduction.

So while all this was going on around him, Link sat, and he thought. He wished that there could be some sort of sign, telling him whether or not Sheik was alive. If Link had any sort of indication that Sheik was still living and breathing, he would be on the road towards him, hundreds of soldiers or not. But why would they keep him alive? Why would they waste the food and supplies it would take to get him back to Hyrule? To take him to Castle Town and answer for his crimes?

Link looked up, at the back wall of the kitchen. Before they had carried Sheik out the door, they'd been looking at his face, and talking about whether or not he looked like someone. What if they discovered he was the Sheikah that had escaped from the castle? They would bring him back to Hyrule, wouldn't they?

"Link, have you just thought of something?" Duncan asked quietly.

Link stood up out of his chair, knocking it back onto the floor. Addica looked up at him in alarm, "I think he's still alive," Link breathed, looking up and meeting Duncan's wild eyes. "I think they're keeping him alive." Duncan was giving him the oddest look, so Link turned and looked down at Addica, sitting with his knees up in the chair that was too large for him. "They're keeping him alive, Addica!" he said excitedly, beaming down at the little boy. Slowly, a grin began to spread across the child's face. Link's attitude was infectious.

"Explain your reasoning!" Duncan leaned forward in his chair, looking very interested. Link glanced over at the Earl, only to find him with eyes as wide as deku seeds and nose wrinkled up in frustration from not knowing.

Link picked his chair back up and sat down, scooting his chair in and leaning forward across the table. "Before they took him, they were looking at him, and they said something about getting a wanted poster to compare him to. Which would mean that they have to know exactly who he is by now." Duncan nodded. He was following everything Link was saying, which was good, because it meant this wasn't some wild, hopeful rant. Well, it was, but it meant that it may have some credence to it.

"Do you think that they may want him alive until they can take him back to the city he ran away from?"

Link nodded excitedly. "I think that if the Sheikah from the desert ever find out what the Hylians did down here in Termina, they'll probably start a rebellion of their own, or something! So taking back one of the core offenders, Sheik, who basically defied them at the root of all this, they can make an example out of him. That's the logical thing to do!"

"Make an example of him to scare the others back into omission." Duncan nodded. "Link, that does make sense! It may be a long shot, but it's sound logic!"

"So it's possible?" Link held his breath as he waited for an answer.

Duncan smiled. "Link, of course it's possible. I'm just happy to see the light back in your eyes."

Link reached across the table and grabbed Duncan's hand, desperate for something to cling on to. Having something to hold and cling to helped him hold onto his convictions. "Duncan," Link said, staring directly into the Earl's eyes. "I need to get him back. I've sat back and watched too many times now as people I love have gotten hurt. I barely even fought when they took Sheik. I have to fight now. I have to tell him that I forgive him."

Duncan cocked his head, getting this strange smile twisting his lips up. He looked almost Link's age when he did that. "I think you will, Link."

"Then I have to find my brother," Link said in a rush, running out of the kitchen. Duncan trailed behind, helping Link get the arms of his coat on, tugging him back just before he went rushing out the door.

"Link, no, you're forgetting something!" Duncan exclaimed, disappearing from view as he ran around the corner of the hallway. Link stood there in utter confusion until Duncan came flying back around the corner, a small, blonde bundle in his arms.

"Oh..." Link murmured, a little embarrassed. "Yeah, that's kind of an important thing to forget."

Duncan smiled at him, squeezing his shoulder gently. "It surely is. Luckily, I'm here to help you remember."

"Right," Link smiled back, heart fluttering in his chest at all the excitement and hope he felt buzzing in the air. He waited while Duncan helped Addica with his coat, and then plucked the boy off the ground and went outside, searching for Davin and Luca. He wanted to leave soon. Tomorrow, at the latest.

* * *

They had been walking in the blistering cold since dawn, and Sheik had had little sleep. Kafei hadn't provided much warmth from the biting frost settling over the land, even holding onto each other as they had last night.

The day was giving into evening, and the dark was settling in, and yet they were still walking. Apparently, they'd entered Hyrule while Sheik had been unconscious, and these forests that they'd entered that day were a part of the Ordon Province. Ryan had woken them up that morning and cut the ropes around their feet so that they could walk. For breakfast they were given a thin, cold porridge, and wasn't eating that with bound hands tricky? And it offered little in the way of nutritional substance.

Sheik hadn't said a word all day. He was still searching for that chance, that opportunity that could get him and Kafei out of there. A sharp rock, an arrow in the ground, Ryan forgetting to tie their feet that night. Anything that could get them away from these soldiers. Because Sheik wasn't going to spend another night lying on the frozen ground. He'd been morbidly surprised when he'd actually woken up that morning.

"Alright, stop!" Ryan's familiar voice came from the front of the procession as he rode back along the line of men and women, shouting orders. "We camp here for the night!" He reined his horse back into a stop just as he reached Kafei and Sheik. "Private!" he barked, and one of the larger men guarding over the two Sheikah saluted, stepping forward.

"Major, sir!"

"Ensure that the two Sheikah get blankets and a proper meal tonight. We want to insure that they reach Castle Town alive."

"Yes, sir!"

Ryan caught Sheik's eye and nodded to him before pulling on his reins and trotting off further down the line.

"What's with that?" Kafei asked under his breath.

Sheik shrugged, letting himself be shoved against a nearby tree by the man Ryan had spoken to.

"You two just sit tight here, I'll be keeping an eye on you," he warned, leering at them with an ugly sneer.

Sheik sat and watched the activity around him. It was near dark now, the sun completely set, and the trees doing a fine job of blocking out most of the light. Torches and fires were lit, and then tents erected. About an hour had passed before anyone even approached them. It was a burly man, perhaps in his fifties, with a coarse beard and a mean look in his eyes. There were three more men behind him, all standing with their arms crossed over their chests.

"These two just meant to sit here, then?" he shouted to no one in particular in a deep voice. "I didn't even know the little one was awake yet."

Sheik watched him wearily. He tried not to let his exhaustion overcome his defensive measures; but it did anyways, for the most part, despite his efforts to stop it.

"You four, back away from the prisoners!" Ryan came trotting into view, still on his horse. "They're not to be touched, am I understood?"

The muscular man glared up at his superior. "They're dying anyways, aren't they? Soon as we get 'em to the city." He turned his unpleasant gaze back on Sheik, squatting down in front of him and wrapping his giant hand around Sheik's bony knee. Sheik felt very small in that moment. "Can't see why we shouldn't have a bit of fun with 'em first, if they—."

Sheik yanked away from the man's grip, rearing back and kicking him flat in the face. The man did not go flying back as he'd hoped. His head was flung to the side, but that was it, and all it seemed to do was fuel his temper.

"You little fucker!" He lunged forward, hands grabbing at Sheik.

"Lieutenant!" Ryan barked, his voice a bit shrill. "That is _enough_! Back to your duties! The Sheikah are to remain _un_touched!"

The man rubbed his jaw where Sheik had kicked him, standing back up and lumbering away into the ring of darkness, muttering lowly to himself. His three cronies followed behind him closely.

"Is that what I have to look forward to tonight?" Sheik called, just as Ryan had turned to leave. The man paused, shoulders stiff as he waited for the rest of what Sheik had to say. "Being raped by half the men here as soon as you turn your back on me?" Sheik's hair fell into his eyes as he leaned forward, pushing himself onto his feet. He stalked forward, Ryan's eyes never leaving him.

"Of course not, there'll be guards posted around you at all times." Ryan protested, leaning back a bit as Sheik walked right up to him, craning his neck so he could glare up at him on the horse's back.

"Guards?" Sheik snorted. "The _guards_ will probably be the first on their knees, yanking my trousers down! I don't trust anyone in this camp not to touch me except for you!" By the end of his sentence, Sheik was shouting. He hoped this would be his out, the out that both he and Kafei needed. Ryan's tent—the _Major's_ tent—was bound to be less- heavily guarded. Plus, Sheik was more likely to get his hands on some sort of weapon if they were moved to a different part of the camp.

Ryan sighed, looking around at all the soldiers passing by before dismounting and pulling Sheik against the horse, whispering in a strained voice. "If I take you into my tent, they'll all think I've taken you for the very same reason!"

"Not if you take both of us," Sheik argued, glaring up at Ryan, who was fencing him in against the body of the horse. "Besides, we won't last until Castle Town if you keep us outside the whole time, blankets or not."

"I _can't_—."

"You can, and I hope you will," Sheik cut him off. "You're a decent man, Ryan, despite all the wrong you've done serving this country. I hope you'll make the right decision." Sheik used his shoulder to push past him and walk back to the tree, sitting down again beside Kafei.

"What'd you tell him?" Kafei whispered.

"I'm guilting him into being our ally," Sheik whispered back. "Perhaps we can make it out of here tonight."

Kafei gasped quietly. "Goddesses, really?"

Sheik nodded, still looking out into the maelstrom of soldiers setting up a temporary camp. "If I play my cards right."

A dozen or so feet away, a soldier that had been carrying a quiver full of arrows tripped and fell over a tree root. She went flying off her feet, arrows spilling out of her quiver all over the frozen ground.

Sheik punched Kafei in the leg, making sure he had seen.

Kafei nodded, giving Sheik a quizzical look.

Sheik rolled his eyes. Honestly, the older Sheikah had gotten rusty during his time at the inn. "Go get one!" Sheik hissed under his breath.

"How?" The purple-haired Sheikah hissed back, looking angry.

Sheik thought for a moment. "Get up and demand to be given some privacy because you need to relieve yourself. Walk and trip over the same roots she did and then fall into the pile, grab one, and slip it up your sleeve!"

Kafei frowned. "That's a horrid plan."

"Just do it! No one will bat an eye! They all think we're precocious asses anyways!"

Kafei grunted in annoyance before struggling up to his feet and strutting forward, shouting loudly. "You all need to evacuate the area and cut this rope! I have to relieve myself—nature is calling—and I don't fancy doing it in front of you brutish lot! Will you all quit staring at me as if you didn't just hear every word I said! Now go away, all of—." Kafei shrieked as he made the fall, playing his part well. Sheik watched closely as two soldiers stepped in and yanked him out of the pile of arrows, dragging him over and tossing him back down beside Sheik against the tree.

He grunted in pain for a moment, playing offended until the two soldiers broke off and left them. He had cut marks all over his body from all the arrowheads he'd landed in. "Goddesses, that really hurt," he groaned.

"Did you get it?" Sheik whispered.

Kafei flashed him a grin. "Yeah."

An hour later, Sheik and Kafei were sitting on a nest of blankets inside Ryan's tent, eating a fair serving of stew out of wooden bowls. Ryan wasn't currently in there with them, but he'd assure them both several times over that he'd post guards outside. But at least they didn't have to hide. Kafei had slipped him the arrow, letting him cut himself free first. No one was in the tent watching them, but Sheik was still being cautious.

He let the arrow shaft slip out of his sleeve, the spear landing in his hand, cutting into his skin. Slowly, using his fingers, he worked it back up, pushing it into the ropes binding his wrists together. Minute dragged by, and several times, his fingers had pushed too heavily, and the arrowhead had slipped and cut into his wrists. When this happened, he would his bite down on his lip hard enough to taste blood in order to keep from letting out a sound.

And then the pressure around his wrists was gone as the ropes fell to the ground.

"I got them," he whispered.

"Get behind me," Kafei answered, turning his back towards Sheik. Sheik shuffled forward on his knees, cutting into the rope around Kafei's wrists while trying not to cut him like he had himself. After about a minute, the ropes fell away to ground.

"They're gone," Sheik whispered, standing up and stretching his arms out. He wanted to be loose and able when the time came to run.

"When do we go?" Kafei asked, crouching low to the ground and peeking out under the back of the tent.

Sheik thought quietly to himself about the best way to get them both out of there alive. If they just tried to run right out, they'd be stopped. They needed… they needed…

"We need a hostage," Sheik answered finally, handing Kafei the bloodied arrow. "Take this and hide yourself in the tent flap right next to the entrance. We'll wait until Ryan comes back in and then we'll take him. You and he are about the same size, but I think he's thinner than you. You have muscle on him, so if I help, we should be able to overcome him."

Kafei took the arrow and walked over to the entrance of the tent, pressing himself gently into the fold of fabric that was the tent flap. Sheik could see him from where he sat, but anyone entering the tent would be oblivious to him lurking there.

"Right, now we wait," Sheik sighed, laying down on the blanket that had been spread on the ground for them, making sure to keep his hands behind his back.

Ryan did not take as long as Sheik had been anticipating. He heard him before he saw him. His form appeared behind the tent's entrance; he pushed through it, smiling faintly at Sheik. His smile fell as soon as he realized Sheik was lying on the blanket alone.

"Where is—?"

Kafei pushed out from behind the tent flap, locking one arm around Ryan's neck, using the other to brandish the bloodied arrow at this throat. Ryan struggled, starting to shout, but as soon as Kafei pressed the actual blade of the arrow into his throat, he fell silent, staring sadly at Sheik.

"Why would you do this? I told you I have a family," he murmured, meeting Sheik's eyes as Sheik flipped onto his feet.

"Relax," Sheik drawled, walking past them and peeking out the tent's entrance as covertly as he could manage. Two men stood about ten feet off from the tent's entrance, their backs to him. "We're not going to kill you. We just need you to keep people from shooting at _us_."

"I'm not going to matter! They already sent a letter to the bloody _king_ saying they have you! They'll shoot anyways!"

Sheik ignored him. "It's the best chance we have." He turned around, peeking under the back of the tent as Kafei had. He couldn't see much in the darkness, but the coast was clear. Sheik turned again and approached Ryan slowly, cocking his head as he took in the trapped man before him. When he was close enough, he slid his arms around Ryan's waist, feeling along his hips for a weapon.

"What are you doing?" Ryan squeaked.

Sheik found the sword hilt, sliding it out of its sheath with a grin. "What do you think?" he asked haughtily, sliding the sword out the rest of the way. "Come on, Kafei, bring him."

All three of them slipped out the back of the tent, stalking along the alleys of the camp, silent as shadows.

"Which way?" Sheik turned, looking at Ryan expectantly, holding the sword up to his throat. The hunk of metal was a bit heavy for Sheik's liking, but it would do in a crisis. And this was most definitely a crisis.

"Just keep following the edge of the camp like you have been, it'll take you out to the south, back the way we came."

They half-walked, half-ran for a few more minutes until they heard voices approaching.

"Shit!" Sheik hissed, diving back against a tree, making sure Kafei did the same with himself and Ryan as they all ducked down and tried to hide from the passing patrol. The two men whose voices they'd heard approached without seeing them. They were arguing over which of their female comrades were the most attractive, though they weren't so eloquent with their wording.

Just as they were passing them, Ryan cleared his throat loudly, and the two men stopped, looking around. Sheik cursed under his breath, gauging whether or not it would be a good idea to just run.

The two men turned around, spotting them. "Prisoners escaping!" One bellowed, loud enough to wake all of southern Hyrule. The other lunged for them.

Sheik shot out from the tree and sprinted down the line of tents, hearing Kafei's footfalls not far behind him. He didn't pause to look back to see if the man was gaining on them, or to see how many more had already joined in the chase. There had to have been soldiers close by enough to respond immediately to their comrade's warning call.

They were close, so close. Sheik could just make out where the clusters of tents ended and gave way to the woods. If Sheik could reach that point, he could hide long enough to escape, he just needed to—.

"Sheik, get down!" Kafei screamed behind him. Sheik flattened himself to the ground just quick enough to hear a crossbow bolt go hissing above his head. The second it passed, he shot back up, leaning into his sprint, willing his weary limbs to move faster. He was so close, so, _so_ close. Almost there, just a few more seconds and he'd be in the safe darkness of the forest.

"Sheik!" Kafei screamed again, warning him. Sheik started to crouch down again, but the familiar whizzing of the bolt came sooner than he'd anticipated, and he wasn't able to get down soon enough. The crossbow bolt imbedded itself in his left arm, sending him crashing to the ground as he stumbled over his own feet, crying from all the fucking pain that was eating all over his arm. He couldn't run anymore. He had almost made it. The trees waved to him not thirty feet away as the breeze pushed through them, beckoning him, willing him to get back up.

He started to struggle back onto his feet, vigor renewed, right when a second bolt imbedded itself further up in the same arm, knocking him back down. His face was buried in the dirt as he screamed into the night. He screamed so loud and long, his voice becoming hoarse so that it only came out as a painful croak.

"Sheik! Sheik, oh goddesses!" Kafei came speeding along the tent line, dragging his feet to slow himself as he knelt in front of Sheik. "Oh goddesses, they got you twice! Shit, the blood is—."

"Go," Sheik wheezed, turning his eyes up to look at Kafei. "Go back. Tell him I…" Sheik winced as the pain overtook him. "Tell him… I love him." Sheik used the last of his energy to swat Kafei away when he tried to pick him up. "Go!" Sheik screamed at him. "Go! Go! Damn it, Kafei, _GO_!"

Kafei cast one last glance at him before flying off into the night. Sheik heard his footsteps fade, and he closed his eyes, listening to the thump, thump, thump of more feet approaching. He felt drowsy, and the ground felt wonderful beneath him, softer than a bed of feathers. But it couldn't last, could it?

Sheik was yanked off of the ground and flipped over onto his back, and so many voices were over him, yelling, and shouting orders; poking and prodding him.

And then the pain in his arm multiplied tenfold as someone grabbed one of the thick bolts in his arm, twisting it out, making the wound bigger and deeper. Sheik screamed out into the night again, letting his throat go raw as his legs scrabbled on the ground, feet trying to get enough purchase to run away, even though he was lying on his back.

A heavy weight set across all four of his limbs, pinning him the ground, though he still struggled with all of the energy that was left in his frail body. His eyes were open, but he couldn't see. The world was a painting again and nothing stood out from the heavy strokes of black and gray. The second bolt was twisted out, harder and rougher than the first one, and a distinct voice that Sheik faintly recognized was clear through the static.

"Somebody, get me a stick, a medium-sized one! You, tear off that bit of your shirt and give it to me, he's losing too much blood, we need to make a tourniquet!" Sheik recognized the voice, and he knew who it was, but he couldn't see past the shadowy canvas, and his mind, which was fogging over, wouldn't give him the name.

"Rrrryy—," he slurred.

"You're lucky I'm saving you, you little twat," the voice snarled. "After what you did to me, I should have had them shoot you in the back!"

Everything went black for a moment, and Sheik felt like he was falling through blackness. He struggled again, trying to worm his way back into the light. And then there was this horrible, twisting sensation. It felt like someone was squeezing on his arm so tight that it would pop off under the pressure. The squeezing was happening just under his shoulder, and it hurt worse than anything Sheik had ever experienced before. He felt for sure that some beast they'd called out of the woods was gnawing his arm off.

"Sir, are you sure a tourniquet is wise, given the—."

"Shut up and carry him to the medic's tent!" That same voice bellowed.

Sheik felt arms go around him, and then he was floating. He imagined himself coasting along a cool river in the summer heat, clinging to a warm body that he knew was Link's. He opened his eyes and there he was, smiling back at him with those bright blue sapphire eyes. His hair was wet from the water. His chest was bare, sparkling drops cascading down the soft lines of his torso, and he looked so happy to see him. He was _beaming_. Sheik grinned back, leaning in and covering the boy's mouth with his own, kissing him so deep that he forgot who he was. "I forgive you," Link's voice tickled in his ear. "I forgive you, love. Rest easy. Go to sleep. It'll all be alright."

Sheik allowed himself to sink back in the blackness, and then he felt nothing. He went under.

* * *

**The only thing I will tell you is that no, our dear little Sheik is not dead. So, in the words of Link as he appears in Sheik's addled mind, 'rest easy.'**

**Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter, guys! I know it was heart-wrenching to read. But so was this chapter, so I apologize for shamelessly asking for reviews, but I want to know all of your reactions! I must feel the feels with you!**

**Oh, and off-the story talk for a moment here. Has anyone heard the news that they're going to release Wind Waker on the WiiU in H-freakin'-D? And they also announced a new Zelda title, but not what it is; only that there will be one. Apparently, it's a long ways in the future, but WWHD is expected maybe Fall at the soonest and I'm like fxgdghdihg! Wind Waker is one of my favorite Zelda games, and the pictures they released are sooo pretty! Looks like I need to save up and actually get a WiiU so I'll be able to play it!**

**Anyways, sorry for that folks, I needed to vent my excitement. Thanks for reading! :D**


	27. The Struggle to Keep Faith

**********Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Struggle to Keep Faith**

"Duncan, please, you have to come!" Link pleaded. The Earl was up in Link's room, helping him back his bags. They would be leaving later that morning.

"Please," Link continued. "There's no doubt in my mind that you'd come in handy more than once. Something about you tells me you have skills that you've never let on to anyone before."

Duncan sighed, folding yet another shirt and tucking it away inside the pack. "Link, I've come to care greatly for Sheik in the short time that I've known him, and I'd like to participate in such a heroic quest, but I'm afraid for Miss Anju. 'Twould be horrible to leave her all alone when she's experienced such a similar loss."

Link's nose wrinkled up, unhappy that he could not get Duncan to agree. "She has her uncle. She spends most of her time over there at the Mayor's house now anyways."

"Which means I need to stay and run the inn. Link..." Duncan caught his shoulder, looking him in the eye. "For all my eccentricities, loyalty is what is most important to me. If I sense that my help will be needed by you or anyone close to you, I will come. I swear to you, Link, I will be there as fast as my freakishly long legs can carry me."

Link nodded tiredly, trying to muster a smile. He understood, he really did. Duncan was trying to take the course of action that would benefit everyone in the end. It was just… difficult to see and understand that side of it. In his mind, Link needed every available person and resource so that he could save Sheik. He was tired of being a coward and always hiding, but after all, he was only one person. He couldn't do much on his own. "Will you keep Addica with you?" he asked, keeping eye-contact.

Duncan smiled. "Of course I will, Link. Wherever you're going, it's no place for a little boy who's already seen too much of the worst of people."

"I'll take him back, when this is all over. However it ends," Link vowed.

"Don't you worry a bit about him, Link. I know a bit of Sheikahn myself, so I'm sure we'll have fantastic conversations while you're gone!"

Link's eyebrows knitted together on his forehead. "What? You've known how to speak to him all along? Why didn't you tell me, Duncan? I've been floundering with him the past week while Sheik was gone, and then when he… was taken."

Duncan shrugged, grinning. "He knew well enough. I figured that his knowledge of my impeccable talents was most important. Although, genius requires an audience. Perhaps I should tell more people." Duncan dropped what he was folding on the bed, walking straight up to Link and grabbing both of his shoulders, addressing him seriously. "Link, I can speak Sheikahn. I can also speak the language of the Gerudo, although I've never found one to talk to. They're a rowdy bunch, as I hear it. You know of my future-sensing ability, and you should know I've been doing mental exercises in my spare time to try and expand it. I can also juggle. I'm excellent with a sword, quite the ladies' man, if you must know, and I can calculate in my head faster than any living thing I have ever met, excluding a waterfall. Waterfalls are tricky bastards, and very witty. Quite snobbish, though I suppose not all of them are. I can also-."

"Duncan!" Link shouted, pulling back from him. "I don't have time to listen to how much of a genius you are, alright? You'll have to find a different audience." Link rolled his eyes, mouth pressed in a hard line.

"Ah, yes. I can understand why!" Duncan quipped, flashing a huge grin. It was almost as if he'd said all of that on purpose, to get a rise out of Link; which made Link wonder if parts of it were even half true. "Well," the earl continued. "We must hurry if we want to send the three of you on your way quick enough!" He jumped back into action, folding and packing quicker than a maddened bokoblin on the back of a boar.

Less than an hour later, Link was standing in the front entrance of the Inn, saying farewells along with Davin and Luca to the people they were leaving behind. Jasten and Rosalyn were especially sad to see them go. Anju had this teary, hopeful look in her eyes. Duncan was grinning courage at them all, whispering a commentary of the sad exchanges into Addica's ear. Addica had wiggled out of Duncan's hold, cuddling up in Link's arms; hugging him around his neck with his little arms as he whispered a sad, foreign-sounding 'goodbye' in his ear. Link kissed his cheek, smiling hopefully at the small boy as he handed him back off to Duncan.

Brock had not shown for the goodbye.

Link, Davin, and Luca had left the city out through the northern entrance. As they left, a light snow began to fall, chilling the air past being bearable.

Clock Town was just fading into the distance behind them when Luca first spoke, breaking the silence. "I know they're your family, Dav, but it feels good to get away."

Link chuckled quietly, glancing over at his brother to see his reaction.

He looked thoughtful, which was surprising to Link. "It feels odd," he answered. "I've literally never been away from any of them, except for you, Link, when you left. This is the first time I've been on my own."

"Not on your own, Dav." Link watched as Luca pulled Davin closer by wrapping an arm over his shoulders. "You've got me and your pesky little brother!" Luca shot a devilish smirk at Link, wiggling his eyebrows tauntingly.

Davin laughed, elbowing Luca lightly in the ribs. "I'd say _you're_ the pesky one."

"Goddesses, where did all of this come from?" Link said out of nowhere, watching them out of the corner of his eye.

Davin frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

Link thought about it for a moment, really not wanting to offend. "I mean... _You're _the quiet one, and out of nowhere, you have a boyfriend, and you talk, and you're weirdly affectionate."

"I could say the same thing about you, Link," Davin shot back with a soft grin. "When we get Sheik back, just pay attention to all the little public displays you two put on. It can and has gotten awkward. Like the first time we were at the Stock Pot Inn?"

"When they started making out in front of everyone?" Luca joined in, laughing. "He has a point, Link. You're really not one to talk."

"I was merely pointing out the stark differences in your behavior," Link said tightly, heat flooding his cheeks. "That's all."

"As was I," Davin retorted playfully. He and Luca high-fived. Link rolled his eyes, grateful for their light banter, because it was a distraction from the dread building up in the pit of his stomach. After all, Sheik had been kidnapped. Despite the optimism of Luca and his brother, not everything could be right, could it? It just felt a lot like something else was about to go wrong… Typical of his life as of late. Horrible, but typical.

* * *

Sheik felt like he was waking from the most restless sleep he had ever endured. When his eyes cracked open, the world was far too bright, and it was swaying. He was dizzy, hungry, and exhausted—never a good combination.

"Finally awake, eh?" A shorter man with shoulder-length white hair ringing a bald spot called.

As Sheik became more and more alert, the pain in his arm became more and more intense and aggravating. He couldn't move his arm, and he didn't rightly feel a desire to anyhow. There was nothing left to move for now. Just a slow-coming death either from this damned arm or because they would be getting closer and closer to Castle Town as they travelled.

He remembered everything that happened last night, too. It wasn't like the events of the evening were a hazy blur to him. He remembered running, and the exact feel of those thick crossbow bolts puncturing his arm, and the tourniquet...

Tourniquet! Sheik turned his head to the side, looking at the small, brightly-lit tent he lay on the ground on a blanket. The man was still shuffling about, muttering something. Just visible through the tent's entrance was a white bandage, spilling over a too-small pot as it boiled over a fire. Sheik looked down at his arm, and his heart sunk. The tourniquet was still there, so high up on his arm it was nearly wound around his shoulder. "What—what is this?" he croaked, looking up at the man's back. "Why hasn't this been removed yet? You're not supposed to leave these things on for more than a few minutes!" Sheik willed his other arm to move, picking at the knot holding the stick in place.

"Stop that!" The short man whirled around, glaring at him. "I've been too busy the last few hours to bother with you, Sheikah, but picking the knot like that isn't going to help you any."

"Goddesses, why did you even use one of these things?" Sheik hissed, laying his head back down the blanket. "Compression would have worked!" He was incredibly fearful of what the consequences of these Hylians' carelessness could mean for him.

"Oh, quit moaning," the man scoffed. "Major Ryan was dealing with you, and most of the other soldiers on-site of your little escape attempt were sent after that other Sheikah. If he decided a tourniquet was a good way to go, then I won't argue. The major started out as a medic, so if he thought you were losing too much blood, you were probably losing too much blood."

"Take it off of me now, please," Sheik pleaded. "It's not meant to stay on this long!" He tried—through the pain—with all his might to move the fingers on his left hand, but it wasn't easy. They felt incredibly stiff and sore, and they would hardly move at all, despite how much he was willing them to. "_Please_," he begged in almost a whisper. It was killing him to put any of them in any position of psychological power over him, but this was serious. If begging and pleading would work at all, he would try them.

"Relax, relax, boy. I'm boiling the bandage for you as we speak."

Sheik's brow pulled together as he turned to stare back up at the ceiling of the tent. "Did you catch the other Sheikah?"

"No," the man answered flatly. "He got away. Luckily, he isn't the important one."

Sheik breathed a sigh of relief. At least Kafei could find Link, and tell him Sheik's message of love. Deep inside, that made Sheik feel worlds better, despite his state and situation.

Several minutes passed as he lie there, recounting as many pleasant memories in his head as he could to pass the time. He felt guilty in his thoughts, because he'd likely never know if Link _had_ forgiven him, but he told himself that his memories were his, and that it was okay to allow himself some happiness. He was going to die in a short matter of weeks, anyways. There was no way he could escape with the injury he had been dealt.

"Bardroy, are you in here?" Sheik opened his eyes at the familiar voice. He watched as Ryan entered the ten, ducking his tall frame inside, sparing Sheik only a distasteful glance before looking away.

"Aye, Major. Bandage's been ready for a half hour, really, I've just been waiting for your okay before I started anything on him, plus I've been so busy with everything. All the soldiers falling ill and what not."

"The bandage has been ready and you're still not getting this thing off of me?" Sheik screeched, trying to sit up, but managing only a huff and loss of breath as his own body pushed him back down.

"Do you need my help?" Ryan asked. "Is that why you've been waiting so long?"

"Aye, sir. I figured any of the other men would just be too rough with him. I didn't think it would be right."

Ryan sighed. "I understand. Let's do it, then."

"Aye, sir." Bardroy left momentarily to fetch the bandage that was still boiling on the small fire outside.

"I know you're angry with me," Sheik murmured, looking up at Ryan, who would not look back. "But _why_ would you leave this as it is?" he questioned, nodding painfully towards the tourniquet. "Ryan, I could lo—."

"You know, it hardly matters," Ryan cut him off, finally looking at him with a harsh, steely glare. "You're only being kept alive so that you can be killed once we arrive at our destination. I can't waste supplies or time on what is essentially a walking corpse."

Sheik swallowed roughly, glowering up at the soldier. "Walking corpse..."

"Yes. So forgive me for putting my and my soldier's efforts towards issues that actually _matter_."

Sheik's eyes began to sting, and the world became a blur through the tears that had involuntarily started forming in his eyes. How was it that a person came about to be this _cruel_? Hadn't Ryan been his ally, not a day ago? Sheik should have never used him as a hostage… But… no, if he hadn't, Kafei would have never escaped. That was the silver lining in all this.

Bardroy re-entered the tent then, holding a thoroughly wrung-out, clean white bandage. "Major, sir, if you could untie that stick and slowly twist it out of the knot?" the medic instructed, hanging back a bit and watching as Ryan approached Sheik.

Sheik swallowed nervously as Ryan squatted down beside him, fingers picking at the knot tied over the stick. Each pick from his fingers sent shocks of pain through his battered arm. He squeezed his eyes shut, deepening each breath in an attempt to calm his body. It was a technique he had learned in the desert as a child, but it didn't feel like it was working. Instead, he tried to concentrate on the feeling of his lungs pushing on his chest each time he took a breath, but the distraction didn't last long.

"Great, now just untwist it and remove the stick." The medic instructed from where he still hung back at the other end of the tent.

Slowly, the tension that was eating Sheik's arm in two began to ease, and a dull throbbing ache was left in its stead. Sheik opened his eyes, craning his neck to glance down at the mess that had become his arm. Ryan was just now finishing unwinding the stick. He tossed it away, and then undid the knot that lay beneath it, unwinding the blood-browned strip of shirt until skin started to show.

When the torn shirt was all peeled away, Sheik couldn't look. He took one glance and immediately closed his eyes, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"Oh my," whispered the medic. "Major, I know what I said, but perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to use a—."

"I know what I did, and I _will not_ apologize for the actions I took when the need arose" Ryan shouted.

Bardroy, the medic, sighed. "I suppose it doesn't matter all that much anyways. It's not like it's going to matter where he's headed."

"Exactly," Ryan agreed.

Sheik cracked open his eyes and risked another glance down at his ruined skin. There was a spreading ring of horrible black skin where the ripped fabric had been, and an indentation around where it had been compressing his skin. Sick-looking bruising seeped out halfway down his arm. There were two sunken red holes, where flesh had been ripped away to expose muscle and meat. The skin below the black ring, all the way down to his fingertips, was pale and spotty. And… it _stank_. It smelled of gore and rot, and that perhaps frightened Sheik the most.

"What have you done to me?" Sheik whispered, unable to take his eyes away from the mangled mess that his arm had become.

"It won't matter anyways," Ryan answered glumly as he stepped back to make room for the medic.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better, you bastard? What did you fucking do to me? This was completely unnecessary! A bandage would have worked if someone had of held it in place!"

"I already said I'm not going to apologize for the actions I took! They were necessary, and I—."

"I'm a person!" Sheik screeched, cutting him off. Tears were streaming out of his eyes, and he hated it. He hated how weak he was making himself look, and how weak he'd become. "I'm a person, damn it all!" He screamed when the medic began washing off his arm with blisteringly-hot water. "You can't _do_ this to people!" He whimpered as he lay his head back down on the blanket.

Ryan didn't answer. He went out and got Bardroy new water from the fire twice, and with each refill, the heat of the water burned Sheik's skin. When all the blood had been scrubbed—not gently washed: _scrubbed_—away, the medic wound the now-dried bandage around Sheik's arm where the bolt-wounds were.

"That's it?" Sheik demanded. "You've got to give me some sort of medicine or poultice! Water isn't going to clean it properly! It's going to get infected on the road, and—."

"Not my problem," the medic interrupted. "I'm not going to waste my stores on a dead man walking."

Sheik swallowed roughly, staring angrily up at the ceiling as more tears leaked out. He tried to stop them, but he needed some sort of outlet, and there was no way he could even move right then. But oh, they'd make him walk, Sheik knew. They'd break his back traveling.

Sheik just prayed to the goddesses that his arm would start working normally again, and that infection wouldn't spread. Although… his prayers to the goddesses as of late seemed to be falling on deaf ears. Or at least ears that no longer cared for him.

* * *

Kafei heard Sheik's screams echo behind him, but he didn't let that stop him. He'd tried to take the boy with him—carry him, at the very least—but the younger Sheikah had all but pushed him away. So all that was left for Kafei to do was run.

Run for his life, because based on Sheik's agonized screaming in the background, things wouldn't be pretty if he was caught.

He pressed on, willing his legs to move faster and cover more ground. He heard footsteps thundering not far behind him, but he sped onward, not allowing himself to think on them. He had a single-minded drive: run. He had to get free in order to deliver the message of Sheik's last—. No, not last wish. Kafei refused to think that. They wanted to execute him in front of everybody. They told the king that, so he firmly believed that they wouldn't let him die over this. They'd keep him alive in order to lead him to the slaughter, the sick bastards…

For a moment, Kafei allowed himself to have hope, because he knew it would increase his drive. Hope was the fuel for most all heroics. Hope and love. He had to return to Clock Town for both those reasons. Hope: he had to give Link hope; what little he could offer him. Kafei honestly didn't know what would happen to Sheik overnight, or even in the next few days. One could die from the blood loss inflicted by wounds like that.

Kafei couldn't think in that way, because he still had one more thing to return for: love. The love of his wonderful, beautiful, sweet wife. She had to have broken down without him—he himself nearly did—and he felt the need to get back to her grow in him stronger than ever now that he actually had a shot at returning.

Kafei ran straight on for nearly an hour before he allowed himself to stop. He'd stopped hearing his pursuers almost a half-hour ago, but he wasn't about to start taking any risks. At least he'd made it out of the forest. He found himself sending many thoughts of thanks up to the three goddesses, who he knew without a doubt had been watching over his escape.

He shimmied his way up the trunk of one of the larger oak trees dotting the field, found a sturdy branch, pressed his body in against the trunk, and shut his eyes. He wasn't worried about falling out—he was a Sheikah, after all—but he needed a few hours of sleep to regain his strength. Then he would start the journey home.

* * *

**Alright, so this is farewell for a while, to all of you I don't chat with! Feel free to message me if you have any questions at all, or just leave a review! Reviews/PMs are a great way to get in touch with me on this site, and I'm pretty quick about replying.**

**So... should you be worried about Sheik? Probably. Actually, yeah, you should... Shit's going to start going down. Aaaand... I apologize for leaving you with that thought in your head.**

**I'm a great one for the angst/cliffhangers...**

**Thanks!**


	28. The State of Things

**Hi guys! ****I am so super excited to be posting this!** UPDATE: So I haven't finished writing the story, but I've gone through and made an outline for the rest of it. Plus I've written two chapters ahead of this one, so I feel MUCH better and very comfortable with the writing, the ending, and best of all: posting again! I'll be posting roughly a chapter a week, just so I can stay ahead. :D And ooooh boy, am I excited for you all to read the next few chapters! ^_^

**************Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: The State of Things**

It had snowed that first night of the three's trek. They'd just crossed over the border to Hyrule when it started getting dark. There were no cities or towns near the border between Hyrule and Termina, aside from Clock Town, so they'd been forced to sleep on the ground outside.

Link found himself wishing for the hundredth time that Epona was strong enough to carry all three of them, but he didn't want to tire the mare out. She was sturdy, but even she had a limit. Instead she carried their supplies, which was handy, because it was less of a strain on them.

They'd just gotten the fire up and blazing, and were all three huddled close around it. Link had even tethered Epona closer to the fire than he normally would, and draped several blankets over her because of the cold.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Luca asked.

Link glanced over at them across the fire. Davin was slouched back against Luca's chest, and Luca was lounging against a large rock, using his pack as a pillow. Link looked away; he couldn't stand to see them. He was happy for them both, he really was, but... the cuddling and affection just made him think about how Sheik might be dead, or at least very close to it. And the thought of that… it just killed him.

Link shrugged, ripping off a piece of bread and stuffing it into his mouth dejectedly. "Hope so, I already gave her half of our blankets. She should be fine. There's nothing more that I can really do."

"Link..." Davin murmured. "It's going to be freezing tonight. Maybe you should sleep with Luca and me, over here."

Link sighed, frowning unhappily. "Thanks, I guess. I'll probably appreciate it when the temperature drops tonight."

"Absolutely," Davin answered.

An hour or so passed without anyone speaking. The night was quiet; all that could be heard was the wind pushing through the branches of the nearby trees.

Link was just nodding off, sleepy by the heat of the fire when a sound in the distance started him awake. It wasn't loud; it was a quiet, constant sound. Almost as if it had been… calculated. He opened his eyes, sitting forward; eyes open and alert.

"What is it?" Luca asked, sitting up as well, waking Davin who had dozed off.

Link stood up. "I'm not sure..." he scanned the trees around them, trying to see through the darkness. His eyes set on a black shadow that didn't move in the same way the others did. It twisted, and darted, and _advanced_. Link watched it warily as it approached their campsite, unconsciously backing away from whatever it was. It gave him a strong sense of unease.

And then he saw the shadow grew tangible features. It ventured close enough to their little ring of light that it became a figure. Tall, lithe, and familiar.

"K-Kafei?!" Link stuttered, eyes stretching wide in disbelief.

The figure stepped out from behind a tree, coming closer. Sure enough, that purple hair was unmistakable. "Link? That's you?"

Link choked in surprise, nearly falling over when Kafei rushed forward and lifted him off his feet in a sweeping embrace. Link was startled at first—he and Kafei didn't know each other especially well, so it was a bit strange—but it didn't take him long to wrap his arms back around the Sheikah. They'd escaped! Good goddesses, they'd escaped! It was alright! Everything was—.

"Kafei," Link said, pulling away and looking over the Sheikah's shoulder back into the forest, confused. "Where's Sheik? He's with you, right?"

Kafei's face fell into a puddle of shame. He sighed, covering his eyes with his hand before looking up and answering Link's question. "I... no. He-he didn't make it."

"He... didn't make it? Like, he..." Link was horrified. Every last bit of his hope and trust was gone in an instant, just like that. His faith had been dashed. He'd been defeated.

Kafei sensed what Link was thinking from his expression. "No! Oh dear sweet goddesses, I'm sorry Link, I said it wrong. He's alive."

It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his chest. He felt lighter; he could _breathe_ again! He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to seal in the tears of relief that were coming full and fast.

"At least... he was the last time I saw him. He was badly injured," Kafei confessed, looking down at Link with a sad frown. Davin and Luca approached from behind, standing behind Link; a silent and very welcome support. Link felt like he was falling deeper and deeper into a never-ending black pit. "We'd made this plan to escape, just last night. We took one of the more important soldiers hostage. The major, I think—long story—but we were discovered before we could make it out, and they chased us…"

"What happened to him?" Link pleaded, hand limply fisting into the fabric of Kafei's jacket. He wanted to shake him, to demand why the hell he could just _leave_ Sheik there, no matter the circumstances!

"He got hit in the arm by two large crossbow bolts." Kafei made a circle with his thumb and pointer finger that was roughly the size of a cherry. "I tried to carry him out with me, but he wouldn't let me. He told me I had to go, and I regret to say it, but I did. I ran faster than I ever have in my entire life. He was screaming pretty bad, but I didn't look back."

Link stumbled backwards into Luca, who held him tightly, keeping him on his feet when his legs gave out under him. "That's all?" he demanded, turning his eyes back to glare accusingly at Kafei, shouting at the top of his lungs. "_That's all you can tell me_?! That's all you can _fucking_ tell me?!"

"I'm _sorry_," Kafei averred, taking a step back. He looked like he wanted to go, but something was making him hesitate. "Right before I left him, he asked me to tell you that he loves you. That was his wish, for you to know that."

Link turned back around, burying his face in Luca's chest. He let himself weep without any restraint. "Goddesses damn it!" he sobbed. "That's him saying goodbye, isn't it? Why else would he say that?" He wiped at his nose with his sleeve. "He doesn't think he's going to live. Damn it! _Damn it_!" His hands clenched into fists, gripping tufts of Luca's shirt tightly in their grasp. He buried his face deep within the older man's now-soiled shirt.

"I'm so sorry, Link. He wouldn't even let me try to—."

Link jerked back, walking around Luca and his brother back to the fire, throwing himself down close enough to the heat to scald his skin, burying his face in his hands. He was done. Just done.

"Link..." Kafei called, trying to step around the other two to get to him.

"I think you'd better leave it," Luca murmured, holding out his arm to stop him. "Besides, you must want to get home to Anju. Go on, go ahead. We… we appreciate you telling us."

"Thank you." Link heard Kafei say. "I... I'm so sorry for what's happened, I really am."

Davin and Luca came back to the fire, settling closer to Link than before, but still giving him space. Link assumed Kafei had gone, and all the better. His hopes had been raised from the grave, and then pushed back down and buried even deeper. He honestly didn't know whether or not he'd ever see Sheik alive again. His love was injured, and who knew just how bad said injury was? Link didn't have solid proof, any sort of evidence, or anything other than a fierce and constant hope.

* * *

"Alright, Sheikah. Wake up. That's enough lying around. We've already held off a day of travel so you could recover, but it's time to move on."

Sheik's opened his eyes slowly when he felt a heavy kick land in his ribs, setting off a sharp ache in his side. He hadn't actually been sleeping; not really. It just didn't feel like his body could move. Why couldn't they just plop him on top of a horse with someone so he could try to get some rest? They couldn't expect him to walk in the state he was in.

"I don't think I can move," Sheik groaned, blinking to filter the harsh light streaming in his face.

"Oh gracious." The medic said, his tone miffed. He leaning down and grabbed Sheik around the waist, hauling him to his feet. Sheik groaned painfully, hating that he needed to lean on the stupid old Hylian to keep his footing.

"Goddesses," the medic sighed heavily, sounding quite annoyed. "You're going to hold the line up something awful."

Sheik didn't answer. He'd been lying on the ground so long that being on his feet made him feel slightly sick. He was certain that he was no more than two steps away from emptying his stomach all over the ground. The night before last was the night he'd been injured. Several times throughout the intervening period since, he'd attempted moving the fingers on his left hand. He hadn't been able to do any more than flex them open and closed in slow, stiff, painful measures. He'd given up before long, feeling it was useless until he healed more.

But he'd ceased to be afraid. No, now he was resigned. Unhappy, but resigned.

Bardroy, the medic, dragged him outside the tent. Soldiers—both men and women—were hurrying all about, making preparations for the day's march north.

"Come on," Bardroy muttered, pulling him along. "The sooner I get you to the Major, the sooner you become his problem. I haven't even started packing up my supplies, and that's _entirely_ your fault."

Sheik still didn't answer. He was barely listening; watching the soldiers watch him as they made their way through the disassembling camp. Many gave him curious stares; others glowered at him as if he was the bane of their existence. They were all probably itching to get back to their families or whatever it was that had before they found themselves as soldiers. But it wasn't like this war was _his_ fault, so why did they all look so angry?

And then it occurred to Sheik that he'd been spending a fair amount of time around Hylians that accepted him. Hylians that didn't treat him differently because he was a Sheikah, aside from Brock. He'd forgotten that the prejudice against his people was still a very real thing.

"Ah, Major!" Bardroy called, quickening his pace as he spotted the young man. Sheik hung his head and dragged his feet in the bed of pine needles on the ground, making the medic have to do that much more work to carry him. It gave him a small bit of satisfaction in his pitiful situation.

The Major turned towards the call of his title, face fresh and eyes bright with the early morning vigor that was affecting so many. He looked young and fresh until he spotted Sheik. His expression darkened. "Bardroy, I do _not_ have time for this."

"Yeah, well neither do I. I need to dump him off with someone I can trust, and the Colonel's far busier and grouchier than you are, so here." He pushed Sheik forward, practically shoving him into Ryan's chest. Sheik was almost knocked to the ground, but his good hand snapped out, grasping onto the collar of Ryan's uniform. He had to use the strength in his arm to haul himself back up.

Ryan cursed as Bardroy walked off. "You are the largest thorn in my side right now, Sheikah," he muttered, pulling Sheik's right arm around his neck and wrapping an arm around his waist as they started walking. "Can you really not walk on your own?"

Sheik sighed, feebly jerking away. He stumbled headlong into a tree as soon as Ryan let go of him, but he caught himself on its coarse bark, clawing his way back up straight. He pushed off of it with his good shoulder, shuffling along on uncertain feet. He managed a slow, awkward gate; and he had to use his good arm to hold the blackening one close to his body so it didn't swing out like a meaty club. "This is my walk," he mumbled, staring blankly back at Ryan as he leaned into another tree. "Do you want your entire stupid little army to go at that pace? If not, you'll get me a horse, or at least _something_!"

Ryan snorted, crossing his arms. "You're not getting a horse. As soon as you're on, you'll gallop away."

"And be unable to steer properly because of _this_?" he spat, gesturing to his arm. "And then got shot with a couple more crossbows? Not likely, _Ryan_! Look, I obviously can't walk on my own—."

"So we'll get someone to assist you."

"Don't give me my own horse, then! Let me on with someone else! Let me ride with you, for cracking sake!"

"These are war horses, Sheikah, not Clydesdales. I'm afraid you'll have to walk."

Sheik let his gaze fall onto the ground, deflated. Any strong adult horse could carry the burden of two, and it wasn't like he was much to add on. "Then at least give me a jacket, or a cloak. Your men didn't have the decency to fetch mine when they were _kidnapping_ me. I could die in the middle of the night clothed in nothing but a shirt and trousers."

"Fine, I'll see you get a cloak," Ryan muttered angrily. "Let's go." He approached Sheik quickly, exuding an arrogant, business-like manner. Sheik put his right arm up, expecting Ryan to help him walk again. But the Major surprised him by reaching down and putting one arm under his legs, and one under his back, carrying him like a child.

"I need medicine," Sheik murmured as they walked, turning his head and looking at Ryan's steely eyes. "The pain hasn't let up any. That isn't a good sign. If it gets infected, blood poisoning could be a real issue, and—."

"We had this discussion when we took your tourniquet off," Ryan interrupted, staring ahead. "We're not going to waste our supplies on someone who clearly won't benefit from them for very long."

"Is the only reason I'm being killed because I abandoned my post?"

"Yes," Ryan affirmed. "We wouldn't just kill you for nothing."

Sheik snorted cruelly. "Then what was that back in Termina?"

"We had cause," Ryan said, brow pulling down into a scowl. "They were plotting an attack against Hyrule."

"Because my people are tired of being your ready slaves and servants. Why won't your king just let the Sheikah be free? Why do all you Hylians hate us so?"

"Private Rusca, will you pull a cloak or something out from our extra uniforms so the Sheikah doesn't die of cold before we reach the capital?"

"Yes, sir!"

Ryan waited patiently as the young man he'd dispatched scurried off.

"He doesn't look old enough to be a soldier," Sheik commented, wincing at the sudden throbbing flair in his arm.

"Private Rusca is eighteen."

"Just a year older than I am," Sheik commented, wincing again. "You seem to know a lot about your inferiors here. You know the name of nearly every single soldier you address; at least you have when I've been around."

Ryan ignored the comment; instead eyeing Sheik with the closest thing to concern he had shown since the night of his attempted escape. "Are you alright? Perhaps you should have that thing in a sling. You're sweating, and you look pained."

"A sling won't do any good."

"It might," Ryan insisted. "At the very least it will hold your arm still so you don't aggravate the wounds."

"What happened to not bothering with my health when I'm just here so I can be killed later?"

"You can barely even walk. The less pain you're in, the easier it will be for you to carry your own weight, and the faster we'll reach Castle Town.

"Then why won't you give me any medicine?"

"Medicine we can't spare. A scrap of old fabric to tie your arm up with we can. This war's just starting, kid. We need to hoard as many of our resources as we can."

Sheik blinked. "'What do you mean by that?"

Ryan sighed. "There's been word from the soldiers the Colonel sent ahead of us that a Sheikah army is camped east of the desert. And they have no business being there, so we must treat it as a threat and deal with it accordingly."

"East of the desert..." Sheik whispered as the realization struck him. "That means we'll be passing right by them!"

"Yes, well, unfortunately we're expecting a fight. The three hundred that went ahead have been issued orders, though. They'll skirt far around the Sheikah without being seen so that when our men on this side of them arrive, we'll be able to take them on from both sides."

"How far away are we from that point in time?"

"A week, a week and a half with you slowing us down."

Sheik snickered, despite himself. "Aren't you worried?"

"Of?" Ryan bit, taking the bait.

"Being completely slaughtered by them."

Ryan laughed, shifting him in his arms as the boy came back with the cloak. "Hardly."

* * *

Sheik was huddled under his new cloak that night, grateful for the extra layer of warmth against the snow that had started falling. He was sitting around a fire with a group of female soldiers that Ryan had left him with earlier that evening when the contingent had stopped for the day. The Major's thought was that the women wouldn't be a threat to him in the way the men would. It was actually an agreeable arrangement, because they all ignored him, talking amongst themselves instead.

He used the time to take off the makeshift sling and un-peel the bandage from his arm so that he could further assess the damage.

It was hard to see much by the dim firelight, but what he saw didn't look good. Then again, he hadn't been expecting it to. The blackness around where the tourniquet had been was spreading downwards, and the indentation the stupid thing had pressed into him was only slightly less deep. The bolt wounds just looked black and ugly, with red, puffy, inflamed skin surrounding them.

He'd done his fair share of sweating that day; working himself far more than he should in such a state just to keep up with the procession. The sweating and exertion hadn't done him or his injuries any favors. It made the blackened and browned skin under the bandage look almost spongy from being trapped with the heat and moisture of his body for so long.

Sheik turned his arm over painfully, examining his fingertips. The rest of the extremity was still paler than the rest of his skin, but the strange blackness that was occurring where the tourniquet had been was beginning to show up on the tips of his fingers. Even the fingernails on his left hand had taken on a sickly yellow color.

"Oh my goddesses, that looks disgusting," the woman to his left commented, peering closer at his arm when he looked up. "Bet you wish you hadn't of run now, don't you?"

"No," Sheik murmured softly, practicing moving the fingers on his left hand again. "I don't regret it. Kafei got away."

"That's really looking bad," the woman to his right reached out, pointing at his fingers. "Look, your fingers are starting to die. Dry gangrene."

"No, that might be frostbite. It's been colder than sin out here lately," the left woman argued.

"'S'not frostbite. They put a tourniquet on you, didn't they, kid?" Sheik nodded. "Yeah, see?" she continued. "It crushed all the veins in your upper arm, right here." The woman on the right pointed to the black ring of indented skin. "You can't pump blood into that part of your arm anymore, because the veins were all clamped shut for too long. So without the blood, your fingers are starting to die. Then your hand will go black, and it'll start creeping up your arm, and before you know it, it'll kill you."

"Frostbite will make it worse, though," the woman on the left commented. "You better cover up, kid. Exposing it like that to the cold is only going to make it worse."

Two days later, the blackness had crept up and swallowed his hand. He didn't even try moving his fingers anymore, because each time he tried, they just hung there, barely twitching; and the pain from it was unbearable. He hadn't been able to keep any food down since yesterday morning, and that morning when he'd been allowed a bucket of lukewarm water to bathe with, he'd been able to count every one of his ribs.

The next day they crossed out of the forest and onto Hyrule field. The vast expanse of it, further than the eye could see in any direction, stole the last bit of his waning hope away. At least in and among the trees he'd been able to entertain ideas of sneaking out and disappearing into the forest. Here, if he tried to run away, they'd be able to see him for miles. Here the field was low and flat. It wasn't until further north that it broke into rolling hills.

A week and they'd probably reach Castle Town. They'd already passed several big towns and cities, bustling with people and bursting with life. They dotted the roads in the forest and on the field, flashing the idea of freedom in Sheik's face like a piece of meat dangled in front of a dog's nose. One of the larger cities had even had some sort of huge festival going on inside. There were hundreds of people camped outside the walls, and even in the daylight, there seemed to be a cheerful glow emanating from behind the city walls. Sheik hated looking at it there in the distance the entire time they were traveling by. He _resented_ it.

There wasn't much he didn't resent anymore as the world he saw around him made him grow more and more bitter with each passing day.

But his dreams let him keep his last shred of sanity. Sometimes he dreamed of the desert; of hunting with Kaiden, and the rolling dunes, never-ending as far as the eye could see. Sometimes he'd dream of Fen and Betali, and of warm and cool nights in the desert, laughing and dancing. Sometimes he'd dream of Zelda, with her quirky but warm friendship. And then there were the times he'd dream of Link. Of his eyes: watching him, smiling at him, beckoning him. Sometimes they were wandering together through the marketplaces of fantastic cities, laughing and exploring. Other times they were in a bed, curled up tight enough around each other to become one entity. Other times they would fight, and Link wouldn't talk to him. Sheik would follow him relentlessly, begging the Hylian boy to forgive him, pleading with him, and apologizing over and over; but Link would never listen. He'd just scowl icily at Sheik and walk away.

Sheik hated those dreams.

* * *

"Your highness, a letter came for you. I know your usual orders are to have the servants read and answer them, but this one says it is from Termina. I thought you'd like to see it."

Zelda glanced up from the poem she'd been fussing over. Her mind had been troubled lately; ever since a week ago, when her father had told her the 'good news' that the 'little sand-devil' who'd 'deserted her' had been captured. Zelda was determined to save Sheik, no matter the cost. She'd sent him off with that Hylian boy he'd bee drooling over, and that was that. They'd parted on good terms. So why did Sheik have to go and get himself captured? Weren't Sheikah supposed to be… like, evasive or something?

Well, she was _not_ about to let them kill her once-best-friend. She was the Princess of Hyrule, for all's sake! She could forbid an execution if she so wished! Well, that or she could chew her father's ear off for agreeing to such a horrid idea. Public execution... bah! What were they, savages? And they claimed to be a dignified race! The 'goddesses' chosen.' Ha! Ridiculous!

"Thank you, Paul," she said, sticking her hand out for the letter without looking up. A small, dirty envelope was placed in her hand. Paul bowed before leaving the room.

Once he was gone, Zelda inspected the letter. It was filthy... But it was addressed to her, sure enough. She was surprised that the mail carriers had bothered delivering it. Usually the mail that civilians sent to the castle didn't manage to even get sent-it was just thrown away by the postal carriers-and the ones that did arrive at the castle were read and answered by her staff. So why was this letter so important? Paul was the head of her staff. He must have deemed the letter important enough for her attention when he saw it.

She flipped the letter over, using a small knife on her desk to open it. Inside was a single folded piece of parchment, with the letter 'S' printed on it. Curious, she unfolded it, and then her eyes went wide.

Princess _Zelda, I hope this letter gets through to you. I am in Termina. I do not know how much you have heard, so I'm just going to tell you everything. There was a group of five-hundred or so Sheikah living in Termina. They were going to march on Hyrule and take over the capitol so they could free the rest of their people. But a large contingent of Hylian soldiers was dispatched into Termina, and they murdered them all. There were families, and children. I don't know what to do. Word over here is that Terminan soldiers were dispatched to drive the Hylians away, but I have no idea whether or not these rumors are true. I don't know what you can do, but I know you can do more than me. Please, talk to your father, anything. Get him to call off his soldiers so all this doesn't escalate into a war. I'm sorry I'm being so anonymous in this letter, but I really had no idea who'd be reading it, though I hope it will reach your eyes. I want to stop the Hylian soldiers myself, but Link strongly advises me not to. He says talking to you will bring around more good than me taking my own drastic measures. So please, do what you can. Thank you, Princess. I miss your friendship, as well as your council._

_ -S._

Zelda didn't even have to wonder who this 'S' was.

Of course, she knew about all that had happened over in Termina. She'd watched her father give the okay to send those soldiers into the land of their neighbors to the south.

But what to do? She'd already begged her father not to do half of the things he'd done in the past month, but he wouldn't listen. He'd never particularly cared for the Sheikah—he was a superstitious, somewhat prejudiced man, though she loved him dearly—and so he just didn't see the need for peace as Zelda did. He saw the need for war, in order to protect his people.

Zelda opened a drawer in her desk, pulling out a blank parchment. She plucked the feather quill from the ink well and began writing. She knew exactly who to write to in order to get the wheels for good turning. She hoped to the dear goddesses that this would help.

* * *

**Holy toleto, batman! Are you all worried about Sheik? Poor little guy, he's barely holding on...**

**The next chapter is the product of a certain idea for a scene that was requested by one of my lovely readers, so it will be a fluff bucket! A nice little break from all this heartache ;-;. So stay tuned, ya hear? :D**

**Leave me a review to tell me what you thought of the chapter and of what's currently going on in the story! Any predictions of what the future holds for our protagonists?**


	29. The First Time

**Enjoy!**

******Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter 29: The First Time**

The City of Salayia was apparently the hot, exciting, happening place to be in Hyrule that week. Of course, neither Luca, Link, nor Davin had known that. All they had known was that it was dusk, they were all tired of sleeping on the road, and Link was rolling in the Rupees that Zelda had given Sheik.

It was taking a good long while to enter the city because of all the tents and people camped outside. The city was literally overflowing with whatever festivities were taking place within its walls. Davin was worried that there wouldn't be a room available in the city for them, but Luca insisted that he had pull with one of the innkeepers. Davin was suspicious about that. What kind of 'pull?' How had Luca achieved said 'pull?' But Luca hadn't said much about it, and Davin really didn't want to press. He knew what kind of past lay there, and he didn't want to know the details until the day Luca decided to tell him.

The group found themselves waiting nearly half an hour just to get into the flamboyantly-decorated metropolis, but they'd quickly found a stable to put Epona up in for the night. Brightly-colored lanterns hung from every rooftop; and variegated, brilliant streamers latticed over the buildings, creating a bright, cheery atmosphere. Everywhere people were laughing and drinking, and just having a good time. The vivacity of the city life was starting to affect Davin, but he kept his head about him as best he could. When he looked over at Link to see how he was, his younger brother looked somber; a stark contrast to the ebullient jamboree they were surrounded by.

Luca on the other hand, he was getting swept up in the festivities, whatever they were. He grabbed Davin's hand, dragging him over to a young man and woman standing on the side of the street, laughing and flirting; their faces painted with bright colors and designs. "Hi!" Luca greeted them cheerfully, pulling Davin right up next to him. "We've really no idea what's going on here!" He laughed charmingly, his curls bouncing as his head moved. "Would you mind telling us? This city is _exploding_!"

The couple laughed, the woman's heavy eyelashes batting in their direction. "New in this part of things, boys?"

"This is my first time back in Hyrule in years, and this guy," he squeezed Davin's waist. "Lived down south in the forest almost his entire life."

The woman grinned at them, her plump red lips sliding wide over her pearly white teeth. Davin was panicky for a moment that they would react badly to Luca's obvious intimacy with him, but neither the man, nor woman, _nor_ anyone around them made any sort of fuss. Davin was pleasantly surprised.

"It's the Festival of Lights! People come from miles around! People from all the neighboring countries, of all races!" The woman beamed at them, her eyes sparkling. She was obviously very passionate about this 'Festival of Lights.' "It's a week-long festival, and it's wonderful. Every night, we release thousands and thousands of lanterns up into the sky! You should see it, it's breathtaking! My husband and I come every year. We're actually from Holodrum, far to the west of here." She poked out her rounded ear, using her painted finger. "See? Not Hylian!"

"Well great!" Luca grinned. "It sounds wonderful; we'll have a look around, thanks!" He and Davin turned back into the street. Luca still had him around the waist, and though Davin kept casting anxious looks at all the brightly-smiling and painted people around them, no one seemed to care. "Isn't this great, love?" Luca whispered into his ear. "Man, I wish we could stay. Everyone is great here!"

"It'd be nice," Davin admitted, smiling up at him. "But we have to remember that we're here for Link. We can't hold him up."

"Yeah, I know. I guess we could always come back next year, stay all week."

"All week?" Davin laughed. "That is a heck of a lot of festivities."

They'd just about gotten back to where Link was standing: set-apart, and looking cheerlessly out at everyone who passed him. "Maybe by that time, Link can be here with Sheik," Luca whispered, breaking apart from him and resting an arm around Link's shoulders instead. Davin didn't mind. Link looked like he was about to die.

They travelled the streets, taking in the all the sights they passed. The outdoor bars and restaurants, and the bazaars with all their beautiful, gaudy wares. Davin trailed behind the two, just looking. He couldn't believe that a country on the edge of war could have something like this going on in it. On one side of the spectrum, it was a wonderful distraction to all of the wrong taking place. On the other side, it was just wrong. Wrong considering all that had happened recently, both in Hyrule and in Termina.

Luca led them down a side street and into a small inn with significantly less people in front of it. He held the door open for Davin and his brother, closing it once they were inside. "Stay over here while I go talk to the owner, alright?" he whispered. "This guy owes me a favor, but I'm not sure he'll honor it, and I want us ready to leave if things go bad."

Davin's mood was dark and guarded as he nodded. The tight, closed-in, smoky presence of the inn was vastly different from the bright, airy, colorful world outside. It put Davin on edge, and the peculiar way Luca was handling the situation didn't help any either. Davin—feeling protective—pulled Link in close, keeping one hand on his shoulder as he kept his eyes and attention focused on Luca.

Luca approached the bar with a little smirk on his face. It completely changed his appearance. He didn't look like the Luca Davin knew when he did that. The man behind the counter at the front was maybe in his fifties; he was extremely tall, with dark hair that reached to his shoulders, salted with a few strands of gray and silver. All in all, he looked like a kind man, but there was something steely in his eyes that Davin didn't trust. But as Luca approached the bar, the old man's eyes lit up like a child's on their birthday.

The other man that had been standing at the counter backed off so Luca and the owner could talk. And as they talked, their heads ducked close together over the counter, and Davin could just see the curl of Luca's lips as he continued on with that little smirk of his. They'd talked like that for about a minute when the man's hand came up and stroked through a few of Luca's curls.

Davin bristled at that, and almost stormed over when Luca glanced back for a swift moment, shaking his head ever-so-slightly. Davin shook his head back, eyebrows pulling together on his forehead as he worried.

"What the hell _is_ this?" Link whispered next to him. Davin met his baffled, almost disturbed expression with a shrug. He didn't know, though it gave him an uneasy feeling.

A minute more, and Luca turned back, waving them over. Davin hated this, he really did. What kind of a situation was Luca getting them into?

"Ah, hello!" The salt-and-pepper haired man boomed jovially, grinning at Link and Davin with bright white teeth. "You're very welcome here, all three of you." He had an odd accent. "Any friend of Luca's is a friend of mine!"

Davin wanted to ask just how it was that Luca and this man came to be 'friends,' but he was afraid to. This was the first time Luca's past had confronted him in the real world like this. He didn't know how to react.

Luca reached over and took Davin's hand, giving him an odd, almost apologetic look. "This is Vic, an old friend." Luca's eyes trailed over to Link for a split second before locking back onto Davin intently. "Vic," Luca said, not taking his eyes off of Davin. "This is Davin, and his brother, Link."

"Ah, yes. You are very welcome here, boys. Lucky, too! I did not have any rooms yesterday, but a pregnant woman was staying here with her husband, and last night she had to go have the baby, so the room's all clear now. I had agreed to give it to different people, but for Luca here, I say okay! He can have it! So you are all very lucky. You can go out, enjoy the festival, and then come back here and rest, okay?"

"Sounds wonderful, Vic, thanks," Luca smirked again, taking the key from the man, their hands keeping contact for a little too long during the exchange, and turned for the small staircase in the back.

There was silence on the staircase and in the hall, but once they were in the room, Davin was the first to break it.

He set down his pack, turning to Luca with a frown. "That was really weird, Luca."

"Actually, it was..." Link put in from the bed.

"Yeah, I bet it was," Luca agreed, shrugging. "I'm sorry for that, but hey, we got the room."

"How exactly do you know 'Vic' again?" Davin raised an eyebrow.

Luca sighed, looking extremely weary for a moment before he pulled himself together. "Let's get into it later. It's already dark out, and I want to get out in the city and look around before we get too tired."

Okay, so this apparently was one of those things that Luca would tell him in time. Davin reminded himself to breath, and just let it go. He had to keep reminding himself that yeah, whatever it was that happened, happened, but the point was that it hadn't happened in a while, and it wouldn't again. Ever again. Luca had assured him of that.

"Are you coming, Link?" Davin asked. His younger brother was curled up on the bed, staring at the opposite wall.

"I don't think I'm up to it, Dav," he answered quietly, not breaking his stare with the wall. "You two go out. I'm going to stay in here and probably just read something."

"You sure, kiddo?" Luca asked.

Link nodded, so Davin and Luca turned to go. Once they were in the hallway, Davin pulled Luca close and whispered to him. "Will he be okay in there by himself? Is it safe just leaving him here?"

Luca seemed to sense what Davin was getting at, and his eyes softened. He leaned down and pecked Davin on the lips, pulling back and smiling softly. "He'll be absolutely safe here, love."

Davin drew closer for a moment, closing his eyes and just breathing in the other man's scent. "Absolutely safe?"

"Absolutely."

Luca later explained that Salayia was the town he had first met Link in. That they'd run into each other while trying to buy bread. Davin thought that was interesting, but for some reason he just couldn't shake his feeling of unease. Luca took him this way and that, looking at all the colored lanterns hanging on the buildings, browsing the bazaar, even coaxing him into drinking a little.

One drink and Davin was feeling tipsy on his feet. Luca obviously had a greater tolerance, because Davin was pretty sure that he'd had two or three, and he was only starting to show the signs.

"So, Dav," Luca began as they walked down one of the streets of the overwhelmingly large bazaar. "This is our first night out together. Alone..." Luca's arm came out and snaked around Davin's waist, pulling him tighter against him.

"Not if you count my brother with his broken heart back at the inn."

Luca frowned, his fingers gripping tightly at Davin's hipbone. "I really think we'll find Sheik, though. I do."

"What makes you so sure?" Davin asked, pulling him sharply to the side to avoid getting run over by two guys who were rambunctiously chasing after each other.

"Because I don't want to think otherwise, Dav... Here, let's have another drink," Luca yanked him out of the foot traffic and into the warm glow of one of the outdoor bars.

"Don't you think we've had enough?" Davin asked quietly, wondering if Luca was really more intoxicated than he was letting on.

"I absolutely do not think that," Luca chuckled. "Liquor is a social lubricant, and now, if ever, is the time to be social."

"Is it even worth it to try and convince you otherwise?" Davin asked while a small smile pulled at his lips.

"Afraid not, my love. I am what I am, and what I am is set in my ways."

"We want you to be still awake when they release the lanterns, goofball. That means you can't pass out from drinking too much."

"Alright, _mother_," Luca grumped, heading up to the bar counter to order anyways. Davin sighed, but he wasn't really upset. He knew nothing bad would seriously happen, and this night of respite was nice. He was excited to see the lanterns, and their technical 'first night out alone together' was proving exciting, even if they couldn't... end it in the way it deserved to be ended. Not with Link back in the inn, anyways.

Luca came back with their drinks, and they decided to sit at one of the small picnic tables scattered in front of the counter. Davin sipped whatever drink Luca had gotten for him and almost gagged. It was nauseatingly-sweet, but then the sweetness cut out the taste of the alcohol, so he was grateful for that. He looked up across the table to find Luca staring at him; chin propped up on his hand, and a stupid, sleepy grin on his face.

An infectious grin, apparently. Davin could feel himself growing one as well. "What?" He asked, wrinkling his nose.

Luca laughed. "You're so cute when you do that—scrunch up your nose."

Davin's brows knitted together on his forehead. "Well thank you," he said, chuckling lightly, blinking to hide his embarrassment.

"And when you blink slowly like that when you're in candlelight, I can see the shadows of your eyelashes on your cheeks, and it makes me want to put kisses on them. And the way your eyebrows pull together like that on your head after I've just said something romantic is beautiful—it's priceless."

"Okay stop," Davin teased, rolling his eyes. "Flattery will get you nowhere tonight, because we have to share a room with my little brother, and I'm not subjecting him to _that._" Davin laughed to himself at his joke, the alcohol working through his system making him feel giddy.

"Dav, he's subjected _himself_ to it. This one morning at the Stock Pot, he got up from the breakfast table to pee, I think, and you should have _seen_ his limp! Dav, that limp was unmistakable!"

"I know he and Sheik were doing those... things. Link came down one morning and asked me how you and I do it, because apparently he and Sheik were having _issues_."

Lucas eyes burst open wide. "You told them how _we_ do it? Is _nothing_ sacred to you, Davin?!"

"I just told him how to do it properly, is all!" Davin cracked up laughing, leaning forward against the table as he struggled to breathe. "What, you think I walked him through step by step on how the two of us—."

Luca had stopped listening to him. His eyes were wide and focused on something in the street. He looked almost... afraid. A little angry, even.

"Luca, what—?" Davin started to turn to see what the matter was, but Luca sprang forward and caught his shoulder, forcing him to stay facing him.

"It's totally nothing," Luca said quietly; all the former life and happiness in his voice had gone out. It was like he was a different person. "Don't worry about it, let's just—." Luca abruptly stood up, keeping his head tucked down. He left his drink on the table as he came around to Davin's side, pulling him onto his feet. "Let's go, come on."

"Luca, what is it?" Davin asked loudly; honestly confused, and a little bit anxious as to what could have Luca so flustered like this.

Luca looked over Davin's shoulder at the street again after Davin had spoken, biting his lip before cursing under his breath. He pulled Davin the opposite way, away from the street. "Davin, please, let's just _go_!"

"Lucas!" An unfamiliar voice called from the street. Luca's face fell for a split second before he built it back up into a hardened mask.

"Who—?" Davin turned around, squinting to see in the lantern-light who it was that had called; who it was that could have such a strong, negative influence over Luca.

In the cobbled street were two men, perhaps a few years older than Luca, weaving their way through the foot traffic to get to them; one obviously following the other. They didn't look at all familiar. The one in the lead was tall and thin, with chestnut brown hair that was combed up out of his eyes. The other was short and muscular, with extremely short blonde hair. Davin had never seen them before in his life, but when he glanced back at Luca and saw the look of panic seeping through his hard exterior, he knew something was very wrong.

"Lucas—Luca—wow! Look at you!" The taller man smiled alluringly, raising his eyebrows high on his forehead. The shorter one just stood there with a curious, yet transparently suspicious look on his face. "You look great!"

Luca smiled tensely, nodding. "What are you doing here, Ayden?"

Davin's eyes stretched open wide as he turned back to look up at the brunette man with the styled hair. Ayden. Davin may not have ever seen the man, but he knew that name from Lucas's past; and without a doubt, he knew exactly who the man before him was. And more importantly: what he'd done to Luca. Davin narrowed his eyes, silently glowering up at him.

"We came to enjoy the festivities, of course! The Festival of Lights is talked about all over, and I've always wanted to go!" Ayden bubbled excitedly. "Man, I didn't _ever_ think I'd be seeing _you_ here, though."

"Lovely," Luca mumbled under his breath, so quietly that probably only Davin heard him.

Ayden's eyes dropped down to Davin, and his smiled widened. "And who's this, Luca? He's cute." The muscular blonde beside Ayden shot the man a look of betrayal.

Davin suddenly felt himself being yanked back, and then Luca's arm was wrapping its way tightly and possessively around his waist. "This," he said, squeezing him sharply, "Is Davin."

A look of recognition passed over Ayden's face. "Oh... The famous 'Davin.'"

Davin narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Ayden smirked down at him. "I don't suppose Lucas has ever told you about me?"

"Oh, he's told me _plenty_ about you," Davin growled.

Ayden quirked an eyebrow. "Has he? Well, then you know that we were together for quite a long time; but I swear, he must have brought _you_ up about a thousand times. Always telling me story after story about how you two grew up together. It was endearing at first, until I learned about all you two did. Now, I'm no expert, but I know for a fact that it's a little damaging to a relationship when one partner goes on raving about the little ex all the time. But we had a good long run, so whatever he's told you about me, just keep that in mind."

Luca's jaw hit the ground. "Before you _slept_ with another man, you cheating slut—."

"Ah, ah," Ayden chided. "Look, we parted ways, alright? Besides, it never would have worked out between us, no matter how _distraught_ you were over our split up. It's obvious you were still hung up on your precious past," Ayden scrapped. "So I'm honestly glad you found each other again." Huh, we'll, he sounded pretty _far_ from being glad. In fact, his tone was almost mocking. "It's obvious no one else was near good enough for you, so—."

"He was struggling to _forget_ his past, you _ass_!" Davin spat, pushing Luca's arm away and advancing on Ayden. "I wasn't sure if he'd told you about all that or not, but if you knew half of the stuff he's been through, you wouldn't be so quick to judge! When the two of you were together, all he probably _wanted_ was just to love and be loved! He was looking to be _accepted_, and you went and cheated on him?! You threw something beautiful away! How can you even _live_ with yourself?" Davin took a deep breath, stepping back a bit as he looked over at the shorter blonde man, who looked like he'd just gotten the shock of his life. Davin looked back at Luca. "Is this the same guy?"

Luca shook his head, lips pursed tight.

"Yeah, this is the first I'm hearing of this," the blonde man spoke up, shooting Ayden a quizzical look. "Looks like we have some _serious _talking to do, so if you'll excuse us, we'll be out of your way..." He started turning away, pulling on Ayden's arm.

"We'll, I can't say that this was _pleasant_," Ayden snarled as he turned around. "Enjoy your little _catamite_, Lucas!"

As soon as they were out of sight, Luca crumpled back down onto the bench, holding his head in his hands.

"Goddesses, he was horrible," Davin muttered, sitting down opposite Luca.

"He was wonderful when I first met him," Luca mumbled, words muffled into his hands.

"They always are, aren't they?" Davin rolled his eyes, reaching over and rubbing Luca's stray arm gently. "Come on, love, you don't look so good. Let's head back to the inn. We can watch the lanterns from the window."

* * *

That night, after they'd silently watched the thousands upon thousands of lanterns released up into the sky from their second-story window, they'd finally laid down to go to sleep. Link was curled up in a nest of blankets on the floor when they got back, so Luca and Davin took the bed.

It was silent for several minutes, and Luca thought Davin had fallen asleep when his quiet voice spilled into the silence. "Luca, are you alright? That can't have been easy to deal with, and you didn't seem to really want to talk about it earlier."

"I don't really want to let myself dwell on it, Dav. It shook me up a little, but I'm really all right. You're here, and I couldn't possibly ask for anything better."

"Geez, Luca..." Davin whispered sweetly. "I'm sorry, really, about what happened between you and him, but there's something I don't quite understand."

"What's that, love?"

"_What_ did you ever see in him in the first place?"

Luca chuckled under his breath, pulling Davin tighter against his chest. "Well, love, he was very charming at first. I'd recently left Hyrule; I was lost, afraid... He was a few years older, established with his own apartment, and he was incredibly witty and kind. I was vulnerable, and I fell very hard. But he was right when he said I talked about you often."

"Oh?"

"Through the course of all that I did after I left my parents, you were always my secret, Davin. My special secret, and whenever everything got to be too much to bear, I would stop and go somewhere quiet and just think of you. You were my secret weapon to help get me through the bad times. I didn't want any of the people I was with to know about you. You were sacred—too good for them to even think about—and that was my rule for a couple of years. But then when Ayden came along, and I began to trust him more and more, I let him in on the secret. And once I opened up my mouth about you, I really couldn't stop."

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I know what you said before, but I still wish you had of just come home to me. We would have figured something out."

"Well, it's all over now, love," Luca pressed his lips deep into Davin's sweet-smelling hair. "I just try not to think about it anymore. You're what my life is all about now. And I'm so happy with you."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Why don't you try and get some rest? Goddesses know we have a lot of walking to do tomorrow."

Luca planted a kiss deep within Dav's head of soft brown hair and sighed, relaxing his body against the younger man as he slipped away into unconsciousness.

* * *

_It was late afternoon. Six or seven, Luca thought, but he wasn't sure. He was in a bit of a rush, dashing across the village to get to Davin's house._

_ He hopped over the small crick running through the center of the village and ran up onto the familiar front porch with the old swing hanging from the filigree in the awning. He didn't have to knock, because the door was already wide open. It was a hot, summery evening, and most of all the doors and windows in the entire village were open; the inhabitants attempting to circulate some cool, fresh air into their cabins._

_ Just to be polite—because right now Luca wanted to be on Davin's parents' good side—he rapped his knuckles against the open door anyways, walking into the dark, shaded home._

_ "Luca! Well, this is a pleasant surprise!" Davin's mother smiled at him from where she stood near the big wash bucket, which sat on top of the counter. She was washing potatoes; Link was sitting on the counter next to the bucket, helping her scrub them. He smiled and waved, playfully splashing his mother with the cold potato water, laughing brightly._

_ "You little rascal!" She splashed him back, laughing as he shot off the counter and over to the table to escape the wet retaliation._

_ "Hi, Davin!" Luca called, grinning at him. His best friend was seated at the table, peeling the potatoes that were already washed with a short, silver knife._

_ "Hey, Luca," Davin called back with a smirk, glancing up at him only very briefly._

_ "Where's Haera? And Jasten?" Luca asked politely, though he really didn't care all that much. It was all about being polite so that he could get what he wanted when he asked for it._

_ "Well," their mother began, leaning back against the counter with a tired sigh. "Haera went into the woods, down to the deeper part of the crick to go swimming with some friends, and Jasten's out with his father, trying to catch us some fish for dinner."_

_ "Haera's out skinny dipping with a group of boys and girls," Link called from the table, looking up at them with playful blue eyes. "I went down there and spied on them."_

_ "She's _what_?" Their mother's jaw dropped to the floor. "Link, are you telling me the truth?" Her fists fell on her hips._

_ "Yeah, I saw them!" Link insisted. Davin looked up at Luca, laughing. "They were all in their underwear!"_

_ Their mother shook her head tiredly, sighing as she picked up another potato and started scrubbing on it. "That girl better hope her father doesn't see her when he comes back up from the lake. She's too wild for her own good. I fear for her sometimes, I swear."_

_ "Luca," Davin called from the table. "If you just came over to my house to stand there awkwardly like that, you might as well come over here and help me finish peeling these. I don't think my family eats this many potatoes in a year. I don't know why we're doing so many."_

_ "Half of these are for Sable and her family, and you know it, little mister," their mother reprimanded him._

_ "Actually," Luca cut in, venturing further into their kitchen. "I did have a reason for coming here." Their mother glanced up at him expectantly. "My parents left the village this morning to go and visit my aunt, who lives east of here. She's real sick, and they think she might not last much longer."_

_ "I was so sorry to hear about her, poor thing." Their mother gave him a sympathetic smile. _

_ "Well, my parents left me behind to keep an eye on the house, so I could feed the chickens and everything, and they said that if it was alright with you, I could have Dav over for the night."_

_ Davin's head snapped up from across the room, staring at Luca with wide, surprised eyes. He knew what that meant._

_ Their mother smiled slightly. "Two teenage boys alone, up at all hours of the night with no one to tell them when it's bedtime?" She turned back and fixed Davin with a stern, yet playful look. "Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me."_

_ Luca pulled on the cheesiest smile he could muster, bowing deeply at the waist. "Well, if that's the way you feel, Ma'am, I surely do respect your decision." He batted his eyes at her. He loved Davin's mother, he really did. She wasn't like the other parents; she joked and played along with all of them like it was nothing, whereas a different adult might just tell them all to shut up and behave. _

_ She laughed heartily, tossing a damp towel over Luca's head. Everybody joined in on the laughter, and their mother sauntered over, pulling the towel off his head. "All right, all right. You boys can sleep at your house for the night. I'm not trying to cut the fun or the festivities or anything, just make sure you two _behave_." She pointed a long, slender finger at Davin, who put his hands in the air in mock surrender._

_ "Thank you," Luca smiled, walking over to the table and picking up a knife to help. He and Davin shared a knowing look._

_ "Why are you guys looking at each other like that?" Link asked loudly._

_ Their mother turned back from the counter, watching them closely._

_ Luca watched as Davin reached out with his foot and kicked his younger brother's chair. "Because, Link, I told him a big secret about you that you'd never want anybody to know, and we both think it's hilarious."_

_ Link's eyes narrowed comically. "What secret?!"_

_ Davin shrugged, leaning back in his chair as he flicked a piece of potato peel off of his knife. "I can't say it out loud, it's too horrible."_

_ "Alright, Davin, that's enough out of you. Quit picking on your little brother. And hey, why don't you two boys eat dinner here and head on up to Luca's house afterwards?"_

_ "Thanks!" Luca turned, grinning up at her. "I would have been stuck eating old bread!"_

_ "My pleasure, Mister Luca," their mother answered warmly, winking at him as she dunked her hands back into the potato water._

_ "Brock, dear, Davin's going up to Luca's house tonight to sleep there."_

_ The meal was nearly at an end. An hour after Luca had come over, Brock and Jasten had returned with three greengills for dinner, and then Haera came home not long after that. They'd all talked about normal things—apart from a small fight between Haera and her father about what she'd been doing—and the meal had gone relatively peaceful. _

_ Brock looked over and fixed Luca with one of his steely gazes. "I thought your folks were in another village for the next few days."_

_ "They are, sir."_

_ "They're allowing you to have Davin over while they're gone?"_

_ Luca nodded, not once letting on through his expression or through his voice that that wasn't the case at all. "Yes, sir. He's the only one they'll allow. I think they trust him because he's always so well-behaved at our house."_

_ Brock's chest swelled. "He better be behaving himself." His hawk-eye gaze turned onto Davin. "I mean it, son. I don't want you causing any trouble for those people while they're gone seeing their sick relative."_

_ "I know, dad. I won't," Davin assured him with a small, timid smile._

_ "That's my boy. Chin up when you speak, son."_

_ "Oh, Brock, love, quit nit-picking," their mother reached over and squeezed his hand. Brock allowed a tiny, warm smile to come over his lips as he gazed back at his wife._

_ Another half hour to help with the dishes, and then Luca and Davin were out of the house like two mice running from a cat. _

_ They leapt over the crick by the side of Davin's house before slowing down to a walk, side by side. _

_ "It was really nice of your parents to let me over while they're gone," Davin commented, glancing over at him with squinty eyes, trying to see through the sun's glare coming through the treetops._

_ A laugh bubbled its way out of Luca's mouth. He couldn't help it. It was just too perfect. "They didn't let you."_

_ Davin cocked his head. "What?"_

_ "They told me that if I even let anybody near the house, they'd hang me by my toes on the clothesline."_

_ "So you just _lied _to my entire family?"_

_ "Yup. We haven't had a sleepover since before your fourteenth birthday. We're a little overdue, don't you think?"_

_ "I only turned fourteen three weeks ago!"_

_ "That's a long time when you're seventeen and bored with nothing to do but hang out with the little kid who lives a few houses over."_

_ Davin shoved him. "Shut up. You could have go gone swimming with Haera's little group. They would have loved to have you. And at least I'm not the one who entered into a taboo relationship with a 'little kid,' as you say. That was all you. You're gross."_

_ Luca grabbed Dav's hand, pulling him up onto his porch, and pushing him up against the front door before casting a look all around. No one was in sight, so he leaned in and kissed him, flicking his tongue out along DAV's lower lip._

_ "Mmm-no!" Davin pushed him away, both hands flat on his chest. "What, are you crazy? We're out in the open!"_

_ "I was getting impatient," Luca explained, flashing a grin as he pushed into his cool, dark house._

_ Davin followed, closing the door behind him and walking past Luca to sit on the small, straw-stuffed sofa against the back wall. "Your house feels empty without your parents in it." Davin wrinkled his nose, looking at the straight-backed chair in which Luca's father usually sat and smoked his pipe. "Like... I'm usually stuck right here, listening to your father lecture me about one thing or another while I wait for you to get done helping your mom with something."_

_ "You always look like you're about to die when that happens," Luca laughed, crossing his arms and watching him from across the room._

_ "I _am_ about to die! Every single time he sits down in that chair and goes, 'So, Davin, boy...'" Luca laughed at Davin's convincing impression of his father. _

_ "What do you hate so much about it? Your dad does that to me, too. 'Now, Luca, are you good enough to be hanging around with my son: the holy and perfect fruit from my loins?'"_

_ Davin fidgeted on the couch, eyes flicking to the vacant chair. "That is so gross, don't ever say that again. But seriously, he just looks at me like he... knows. About us." His demure emerald eyes moved across the room and up to him, gazing at him with a timid expression. Luca loved that about him; how he always managed to look shy and conflicted one moment, and then say something completely forward or bizarre the next._

_ "Well... he doesn't." Luca said quietly, crossing the room and sitting closely up against Davin, resting a hand on his thigh. "He absolutely doesn't, Davin. We're so careful. No one's ever going to tell us we can't be together because no one will ever know."_

_ Davin blinked. "I know nobody knows. But like... what if? How do you think your parents would react? Would they be mad?"_

_ Luca shrugged, putting an arm around the younger boy's shoulders. "Probably. No worse than your parents, anyways."_

_ Davin's nose wrinkled up again. "I don't think my mom would care all that much, to be honest. She'd still love me. But my dad... I _know_ he'd be mad."_

_ "He'd still love you, Dav. He's your father," Luca murmured, staring at their feet on the ground._

_ "I know that," Davin whispered back, turning and pecking a kiss onto Luca's cheek before jumping up and turning around to look at him._

_ "What?" Luca laughed at the out-of-nowhere expectant expression on the younger boy's face._

_ Davin looked at him like he'd just said the stupidest thing in the entire world. "You dragged me over here for the night! So what're we going to do?"_

_ Luca crossed his arms, smirking. "I promised your mom that I'd get you to bed at a decent time, remember?"_

_ Davin rolled his eyes. "Hey, at least I don't have to sleep in a bed squished between my two brothers tonight, or with Link pushing me off the edge in his sleep. He kicks!" _

_ Luca grinned, pursing his lips tightly to keep in a laugh. He didn't think the boy would appreciate him thinking that was funny. _

_ Davin still caught on; it was evident, because his eyes slowly narrowed. "Shut up! You sleep next to him every night and then try and laugh about it!"_

_ Luca let the laugh escape, snickering. "Come here." He held out his arms, and Davin slowly walked into them, letting Luca pull him down over his lap. They stared at each other, Luca's lips twitching._

_ "What?" Davin demanded._

_ Luca pulled Davin's hips closer against him; getting ready, and then rising up without warning, tipping him back onto the couch. _

_ Davin gave an 'oof!' as he landed on his back. "This is weird," he admitted. "Your mom makes quilts on this couch."_

_ "How is it any different than sneaking off to your family's barn? They're all in there a lot too."_

_ "How can you even ask that? It's way different. The only times we've ever even kissed here before was in your room, when I sneak over at night."_

_ "Do you want to go to my room instead?"_

_ Davin laid his head back, looking around the room silently before turning his eyes back up to Luca. He nodded. _

_ "Then hold on." Luca stood up off the couch, dragging Davin up with him. The younger boy's legs snapped around Luca's waist, clinging in shock as he was lifted into the air._

_ "Oh my goddesses," he whispered, locking his arms around Luca's neck._

_ "Relax, I've got three years on you. Carrying you around is nothing," Luca gloated, although what he said was only partly true. Davin had undergone a sort of a growth spurt over the early part of the summer. He'd sprouted maybe six inches, but Luca was still taller. He was still taller, and he was still bigger, which he liked. _

_ He heard Davin snort quietly. "My little brother doesn't even get carried around like this anymore."_

_ Luca's room was tiny. It was only four walls and a bed, really. A tiny bed, and a window; a window that Davin had been secretly pulled up through in the middle of the night more than a couple times. _

_ Luca leaned over and dumped Davin onto the bed, jumping onto it after him. "Okay, you _are_ getting a little heavy."_

_ "It's all those potatoes my mom makes me eat," Davin grumped, leaning back and patting his stomach._

_ Luca lay down next to him, propping his head up on his elbow. "It's late," he commented, looking out his window. The entire room was dark, black like the summer night outside. _

_ "So what if it's late?" Davin asked._

_ "Davin..." Luca frowned. He was afraid to broach this subject, but there _was _a special reason Luca had gone against what his parents had told him. Something that gnawed at him practically every time he looked at Davin._

_ "What?" Davin asked, reaching over and lacing their fingers together._

_ Luca rose up, climbing on top of the younger boy, dipping his head down and kissing him heavily, effectively shutting up any questions he'd been about to ask. Luca lived for this; for hearing the sharp intake of breath Davin made whenever their lips touched. Every time he did that—and he did do it every time—it brought Luca back to the boy's thirteenth birthday party, when he'd first let on to Davin what he really thought about him. When they'd kissed for the first time. And goddesses, but Luca had been having these _feelings_ lately, and these _desires_, which were very hard to suppress and ignore, and goddesses, he loved kissing Davin. His body became hot without him even realizing it._

_ "Nnn—woah!" Davin shrieked, pulling out of the kiss and scooting out from under him with wide, frightened eyes. "What the heck was _that_? Was that what I think it was?"_

_ Luca covered his face with his hands, sitting up and crossing his legs. He didn't answer. They... they hadn't come across this yet._

_ "...its okay, Luca, you don't need to be embarrassed. It just startled me."_

_ "Davin, what if I said that I wanted to...?"_

_ "Wanted to what?" came his voice._

_ Luca barked out a humorless laugh. "Goddesses, you're completely clueless."_

_ "I am not clueless; it's just that you're being extremely... Oh. _Oh! Oh..._" Luca looked up. Davin was gazing down at him, kindness in his forest-green eyes. "Why the heck are you so embarrassed? I haven't said no."_

_ Luca's eyebrows shot up his forehead. _

_ "Luca, I really love you a lot. You being so much older than I am, I sort of know that you've probably given more thought to this sort of thing than I have. I'm just starting to wake up to this kind of thing. And… and I know that I'm kind of young, but who's there ever going to be in my life besides you? I think I'm ready to give it a try. And... we're all alone. No one is going to bother us. And... you do make me feel that way." He blushed, ducking his head. "Just... the fact that we're not very likely friends, and yet you still give me literally every bit of your time, it just... it means a lot."_

_ "He smiled back. "Dav, you're my very best friend."_

_ "And you," Davin crawled closer to him, ducking under his arm and leaning his head on his shoulder. "Are a great big sap."_

_ Luca snaked his hand around Davin's waist and tickled him back underneath him. The younger boy squirmed and giggled, but things became more serious when their moving bodies created friction, and their lips met again. The situation was becoming a bit surreal to Luca. Were they really doing this? Were they really about to do this?_

_ Davin's arms went around Luca's neck, pulling their bodies tighter together. It was dark, and Luca had nearly forgotten where he was. Everything was so warm, and getting hot. And then Davin went and _had_ to let out a long, low moan, escalating everything._

_ Luca pulled his head back, blinking in surprise down at the boy beneath him, who had practically melted. His eyes were dark and half-lidded, and his pupils were blown wide._

_ "Luca, I—."_

_ "Shh..." Luca reached down and pulled his shirt over his head. Davin whined, squeezing his eyes shut._

_ Goddesses, the summery night was so hot, and the feel of Davin's body shuddering beneath him was doing things to him that he'd never experienced. Hell, things he'd never even known he _could_ experience. _

_ And oh, how had he never known how this could be? Their clothes were shed now, and everything became a messy blur. Luca had to go out to the kitchen to find some sort of lubrication at one point, because the first time they'd actually tried it, Davin had screamed at him to get out of him. After a few minutes of calming down, and soothing whispers, he'd agreed to try it again, and they were both pleasantly surprised with the result. They were… Luca couldn't even think it without becoming embarrassed. They were having sex, right under the noses of everyone who would no doubt disapprove. They were making love! _

_ This was Davin and him, and no one else. This was them, and their love, and their friendship, all being expressed through physical means. Luca had just never fathomed how potent that could be. How absolutely wonderful. He didn't think it would be like it was right then with anyone else, ever. He didn't ever want anyone else. The fear, the excitement, the sensations, all of them were overwhelming in each and every way, and—._

* * *

"Luca! Luca, wake up!" Something was shaking him, pulling him out of the _fantastic_ dream he'd been having. He didn't want to wake up or open his eyes; he wanted to go back into the world of the past, when he'd first experienced true, unyielding love. "Luca, you're sweating! Come on, wake up."

Luca opened his eyes, blinking in the darkness.

"What in the name of the goddesses were you dreaming about?" Davin demanded in a tired whisper.

Luca sighed contentedly, ignoring Davin's words and pulling him tighter against him instead. He no longer wanted to go back into the past, now that he'd been reminded that the same boy was right there with him—a young man now. A beautiful, extraordinary young man.

"The night I took your virginity," he murmured, smiling without opening his eyes.

He heard soft laughter. "Technically you can't say that. I got yours as well that night."

"Nope... can still say it..." he murmured, eyelids fluttering as his body lulled him back into unconsciousness.

"Fine, but will you quit having sexy dreams? You murmur in your sleep, and you fidget, and I can't get any rest. Link even woke up and complained about it."

"I'm still awake, actually." Link's voice came from the floor, a tone of irritation to it. "Luca keeps moaning, and quite frankly, with the conversation you two just had, I don't think I'll be sleeping ever again, so thanks for that. Thanks a lot."

* * *

**Well, this chapter came into fruition because of a request made by the lovely **_**link-lover82**_**, and I hope I crafted it well for her! It really was super fun to write, and a nice break from all the hard, gritty stuff that's been going on as of late. I don't want to sound audacious here by praising my own OC's—trying to keep it humble over here!—but since the moment I came up with Luca's character and paired him with Davin, I've found them very endearing, so writing this was a lot of fun! :)**

**Thanks for reading, everybody! Here's hoping you liked this bit of fluff! Next chapter is going to be very exciting! I hope to post it one week from today, so next Tuesday, be looking for an update! And don't be shy about leaving a review and giving me your opinion and/or reaction! I love talking it out with fellow shippers! ;)**


	30. Grace of the Goddesses

******Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter 30: Grace of the Goddesses**

"Stop the line! Everyone, stop!" Sheik forced himself to look up as the familiar pattern of hooves hammering into the ground grew louder as Ryan trotted over to him. The Hylian man who was supporting him jerked him to a stop as the procession came to a collective halt. Sheik gasped, squeezing his eyes shut at the jarring movement. It'd been just short of two weeks, and he still hadn't gotten used to the aching, sometimes searing pain his arm brought on.

"You're holding up the entire line!" Ryan accused, jumping off of his steed and grabbing Sheik's bad arm; jerking him away from the other officer. "It's been like this for _days_!" Sheik cried out in agony as he was dragged over to the Major's horse. Ryan's tight grip on his arm was pinching the damaged skin, adding a sharp biting sensation to the horrible, dull ache. "The number of days it's taken just to get where we are is double of what is expected of us!"

Sheik was too tired to be angry or even care, but the rage was there, buried beneath his exhausted surface. He couldn't even muster a glare. He just stared, eyes half-lidded at the ground as he was pulled and prodded towards Ryan's horse. He was only half-aware of what was going on.

"You, come here!" Ryan barked, sounding angry and flustered. The officer who had been in charge of walking with Sheik jogged over to them. "Get him up on that horse! I am sick of this toiling around in Hyrule field while we get _nowhere_!"

Sheik groaned as big, muscled arms circled around his hips, lifting him high up into the air. He sagged over the bigger man's shoulder; a lifeless doll. It had been a week, a full seven days since they'd passed by that bright city with all the lanterns and people camped outside. That was the only significant landmark he could remember, and counting the days was really all he had; he was counting the days he lived up until his death. That seemed important...

He was pushed up and onto the horse, Ryan climbing up right after him. Their bodies slid together on the saddle, back against chest. Sheik listed forward, wanting space between them, but he was pulled backwards as Ryan's arms went around him to grab onto the reigns.

"No..." Sheik croaked out, just as Ryan spurred the horse into a light gallop, pulling ahead to the front of the procession.

"Goddesses, I vowed to myself I wouldn't do this," Ryan swore. "Not after what you did."

Sheik blinked, staring at the stiff black hairs of the horse's mane. "Kafei and I… We never intended to kill you."

"But you were prepared to, weren't you?" Ryan's arms jerked him in the saddle as he made a sharp turn to weave in between some of the soldiers. "I have a wife and son that need me at home; you _knew_ that! I know because I _told_ you! In _confidence_, probably the most foolish thing I've done in a while."

Sheik blinked wearily at the pommel of the saddle in front of his face. He sagged over the front of the horse's neck, just wanting to sleep. He'd gotten little rest, unable to find it through the pain his body was fighting against. They fed him very little—and what they did give him, he was rarely able to keep down—and they had been walking for longer than Sheik cared remember, though he did make sure to keep an account. More than two weeks since he'd been taken from Link's side... And through all that, this was the first time the Major had buckled down and allowed Sheik to just ride.

"S'not my fault..." Sheik mumbled barely above a whisper, closing his eyes and reveling in the feeling of the cool, winter-bitten wind on his face. It stirred his hair and caressed his cheeks, and it felt like a breath of life. "You have no idea what I needed to go back to."

"And what was that?" Ryan snorted.

"I don't see a point in telling you," Sheik answered in a whisper without opening his eyes.

Ryan didn't answer. In fact, he didn't say anything more for several minutes, which allowed Sheik's foggy mind to wander; always a dangerous thing.

He felt dirty. In all reality, he was filthy from the hard traveling, but the decay on his arm made him feel disgusting; wasted, useless, unclean. He knew it was there, even with it hidden inside the sling and cloak, and it made him feel... less. He didn't know if he could ever again be what he was.

Ryan chose that moment to open up his stupid mouth again. "I know you're tired, kid. Death will come, and then it'll be over."

Sheik's eyes cracked opened. 'Death will come.' So that's what he had to look forward to now? No more hoping for Link to come and whisk him away? A very small part of him knew from the beginning that it was a stupid, desperate hope. He was stupid for thinking it. He was stupid and pathetic.

"Do I get last... last rights or anything?"

"A priest will be there to bear your soul home to the goddesses."

"I don't want a Hylian. I want a Sheikah."

"There are no Sheikah priests anywhere near Castle Town. Besides, that wouldn't be allowed anyways."

"I don't want a Hylian!" Sheik shrieked, surprising even himself with the amount of volume he was able to produce. "I want..." He closed his mouth, not bothering to finish. What did it matter? He could scream and shout and beg and plead, but nothing would ever come out of it. He was stuck, with no way to go but forward to his death. He tried to wrap his head around that for a moment as they rode. He, Sheik, was going to die. He'd never see the desert again, or Fen and Betali. Or Link. Link. The last thing he would ever see of the love of his life was that wide-eyed, teary, fearful look he'd worn just before Sheik had dropped out the window, only to be pulled screaming back in.

This was it, and it was over. His time was dwindling to quite a tragic end.

"Major, sir!" Both Sheik and Ryan looked up at the man riding in fast from the field in front of them on horseback. He flew the Hylian banner. "Sir!"

"Quiet down, man! This Field isn't secure!" Ryan hissed back as the man—more the age of a boy, really—pulled the horse to a stop just as he reached the procession, sliding in alongside them as they continued their march, not breaking a step.

Sheik looked at him. He had curly black hair; not unlike Luca. He could be Luca's twin... Sheik wondered if the boy on horseback had a handsome young man that loved him at home, or a woman; that was probably more likely. The boy was staring back at Sheik as he pondered, eyes wide and surprised, most likely from seeing him on the Major's horse.

"What do you have to report, son?" Ryan interrupted the boy's and Sheik's staring contest, making the soldier's eyes pull back up to him. They were frantic and wide; something had frightened him.

"The Sheikah army, sir. They're not far ahead of here, perhaps a half-league or so." Every word that came out of him was breathless and rushed. "The rest of the battalion is camped behind an outcropping of rock on the north side of their camp. They sent out several riders to report to you and the Colonel, sir. I'm one of them, but—."

"The Colonel took about fifty men and rode on ahead to Castle Town a little under a week ago," Ryan explained. "I am in full command of these soldiers."

"Sir, I'm the only one to make it through the line of Sheikah archers. We gave them a wide berth, but they were expecting us, sir, and they were ready. Four riders went down."

"They know we're here?!" The Major pulled his horse to a stop, bringing the long line of soldiers marching behind him to a sudden halt. He turned his head back to the boy. "Take three others and run down the line. Tell them all that we march an attack within the _hour!_ When we reach the Sheikah encampment, you are to take the same three men and ride across their lines back to the other battalion. You will tell them to attack as planned. We are taking them down today, and may this reckless rebellion be ended!"

The boy nodded fiercely before calling over two men and a woman on horseback from the front of the line who had overheard the orders. They all took off at a fierce gallop along the line, screaming orders at the top of their lungs.

Sheik's heart was beating wildly. He couldn't even focus on what was happening as he was handed off of Ryan's horse into the arms of a lanky male officer, who was given orders to guard over him and make sure he didn't get into the fray. The man ran with him the long way to the back of the line, where he set him down, allowing Sheik to lean heavily against him as they watched supplies being set down and swords being drawn.

They Hylians were getting ready to fight the Sheikah.

Forty minutes later, and the majority of the soldiers renewed their march north. They'd left behind a score of men, as well as Sheik and the lanky officer to move the supplies forward. Sheik was placed on top of another horse; the reigns held by the man that Ryan had trusted him with.

Sheik watched the crest of the next hill unhappily, slumping against the saddle. After the soldiers had left, the silence had become deafening. To say Sheik was fearful would be the understatement of the century. He was confident in his Sheikah kin, but he had no idea who outnumbered whom, and that was a great worry. Not one more Sheikah should have to die.

* * *

Fen stood at the front line with his people, clutching his double swords in his fists as he waited with his kin for the battle to begin. They knew what the Hylians were up to; scouts had spotted the roughly three-hundred of them camped out a few miles north days ago. They could only anticipate that the Hylians were planning some sort of sneaking, underhanded offensive attack. Many of the clan chiefs suspected that they meant to outflank them. Well, that was obvious now that the others from the south had been spotted. The riders that had just been spotted to the west had been taken down as well, all except one. One had gotten through, but that was of little consequence.

Fen regretted the Hylian riders' deaths. None of the Sheikah had wanted to kill them. It would be a far better world if they could all sit down and talk through their confrontation rather than kill one another over it. Unfortunately, that wasn't the way of these men.

"Fen!" Fen turned around, locking eyes with Kyla-_näba_. His horse parted the sea of Sheikah as easy as a ship did to water.

Fen raised an eyebrow. "Kyla-_ näba_?"

"You are to lead the warriors in this battle. Osidian-_parí_ and I have discussed it."

Fen nodded, not arguing the decision at all. He had been put in charge of many things since their departure from the desert. It all came from how well Osidian-_näba_ spoke of him to all the other chiefs. The exodus of Sheikah had drained two-thirds of them from their homes, called out to fight. Nearly seven-hundred had left. They'd travelled south for a few days before their scouts had come back with talk of Hylians marching north out of Termina. So they'd stayed, and they'd waited. Better to let the enemy come to them.

"I see them!" One of the younger scouts called from the rise of the low hill, running back down to join the army. "They are coming up the slope of the next hill! Two-hundred and fifty, three-hundred, at least!"

Kyla-_näba_ shot him a look, his hawk-like eyes piercing him. Fen nodded to him and stepped forward, turning around to address the warriors. "Ready your weapons!" he roared. "We shall win this; brothers and sisters!"

A consensual roar rose up from the warriors. Fen turned his back to them, facing forward to where the Hylians would be approaching from. "Ready yourselves!" he called loudly, tensing his muscles. "And... _NOW_!"

Like a wave, the Sheikah army ran forward, covering ground so fast it was like they were birds of prey flying over the land. They started up the low-rising hill; taking it in long, lithe strides. Fen could hear the thunderous, primal beating of footsteps and horse hooves from before him as well as behind. The horsemen in the back were catching up to him quickly, but when Fen reached the pinnacle of the hill, he threw up his hand, silently but forcefully calling them all to a stop.

He looked down the hill at the Hylians, surveying them in a detached manner. Nothing he saw surprised him. There were roughly three-hundred, as the scout had said. There were men and women, just as with his people; and likewise, some were on horseback while others were on foot. The others of the Hylians' divided battalion would be circling around and coming in from the west. Both parties had stopped and were staring each other down across the distance.

They were about to put lives in the balance.

* * *

Ryan yanked his horse to a stop as soon as he saw the first figure crest the hilltop. He couldn't see much from the hundred feet or so that separated them, but the man was thin, and tall, and he carried a short sword in either hand.

Definitely Sheikah.

More came to stand on the hilltop; riders as well as footmen. Ryan held his breath. So many... And they stood there together on that hilltop like an immovable wall. The previous confidence he'd felt was waning.

* * *

Sheik looked up when the dull roar of battle in the distance reached his ears. He wished he could see, but the rolling, grassy hills of Hyrule Field rendered that impossible.

He still strained, stretching his muscles past their limit to try and peer over the hilltop.

The horse tossed its neck at his fidgeting; and the curly-haired man had to pull in its reins tighter to keep it from trotting away. Sheik glanced side-long at him, blinking as he forced the dusty cogs in his mind to start turning and calculating. They'd left him alone with only twenty-one men. Surely, if there was a time to hope, or a time for action, this was it.

The man noticed his stare and glanced up at him, swallowing nervously as his eyes searched Sheik's. "What?" he finally asked in a meek, timid voice. It seemed his Sheikah heritage still intimidate a few.

Sheik didn't answer. He was busy wondering if he could kick the man's hands away from the horse's reins long enough for him to gallop off. If he could get to where the other Sheikah were, he'd be safe. Well, maybe not completely safe. There was still the fulcrum of this battle to be decided, but he'd be with his own kind. He wouldn't have to worry about being led to his death any longer. Everything had looked so dire the past few weeks, and here this opportunity was presented to him, practically on a silver platter. He would be a fool not to risk everything for it. He could already feel the wind in his hair; and in his mind, he was already riding out to them. He couldn't let himself be stopped by a mere twenty-one men. It seemed such a small number when compared to the hundreds usually standing between him and freedom.

"Am I allowed to have water?" he asked, still staring down at the officer.

The man blinked. "Of course." He grabbed the waterskin from around his neck, looking down as he pulled the leather strap over his head, upsetting his curls and shielding his eyes for a split second.

Sheik took the opportunity. He grabbed a fistful of the horse's mane with his good hand for balance and used what little strength he had to rear up and pull back his leg, kicking out with all his might at the man's hand. He heard a distinct crack as the officer ripped his hand away from the reins, clutching it and screaming in pain. The horse snorted and stamped its feet, nearly rearing as it was caught between the small scuffle.

Sheik pushed his weight forward on the horse and kicked his legs into the animal's flanks, sending it shooting off across the field.

There was a ruckus from behind him as the men all scrabbled after him. He drowned out all other noises: the horse's hoof beats, the footfalls of the men, and their shouting. He was listening for something distinct, and he needed to be ready because that had been his mistake last time. Another two or three seconds and he heard it, the whizzing of an arrow flying past his head. He threw his weight over and kicked the horse again, throwing them both to the side and forward at an even greater speed. And oh, they were flying over the ground! Flashing across it like a spirit without earthly bounds, and goddesses, it felt so good to be free again!

The soldiers were screaming at him, shouting things like: "Shoot him, shoot!" and cursing a blue streak. When he heard the next arrow come flying, he pulled to the right, ducking down and risking a glance back at them. Half of them were sprinting swiftly after him, all with arrows nocked and bows drawn, but in all honesty: they were too far away to aim accurately, and they were no longer his worry.

Because the goddesses had been watching over him after all.

The horse was just coming over the crest of the hill, putting forth all it strength and might to carry him to safety. The next time Sheik risked a glance back, they'd all disappeared behind the hill, and... he was alone. Blissfully, peacefully alone.

Well, apart from the shouting and clanging swords coming from up ahead... and the fading shouts from behind. Oh, Sheik would have turned this horse around in two heartbeats and galloped all the way back into Termina without stopping until he was back and safe in Link's arms; if only he could.

But that wasn't a possibility; at least not yet. Besides, galloping into the midst of other Sheikah, some who probably _knew_ him, was the next best thing. He felt like he was crying, but the harsh wind was drying the tears before they got a chance to travel down his cheeks. He certainly hurt enough for there to be tears, inside and out.

The sounds of battle could be heard, but Sheik wasn't yet able to see the melee with his own eyes. It was frustrating; the horse couldn't ferry him there fast enough! But it wasn't just the distance between him and the battle. His kin were fighting for their lives, and he wouldn't be able to join in the effort. He could barely keep himself up on the horse.

The clanging and shouting got louder as the horse took on the crest of the next hill. As Sheik came over the top, he saw it.

The mess of tangled and sparring Hylians and Sheikah were hard to make out, because there were just so many. When Sheik's eyes started to focus on one skirmish, another across the dip in the field would pull his eyes away. On the edges and within the fray were the bodies of the fallen, and goddesses, but it was a horrid sight for one to see.

He saw Sheikah, and there were more than enough to take on the Hylians. Perhaps not without a few casualties, which saddened him. It was wrong for someone to have to die to experience the freedom that should already be their explicit right. That the Sheikah were willing to lay down their lives anyways—just for the principle of freedom—despite the horrible unfairness of it all... that spoke a lot about his people.

He drew a deep breath, stilling the horse. "_Sol_ _hai_!"

* * *

"Help me!" The desperate cry for help cut through the fortissimo crescendo of battle: sharp and on a different wavelength than all else going on around Fen. He whirled his head around, trying to find the source of the cry through the mass of struggling bodies tangled all around him. Up on the rise of one of the hills, towards where the Hylians had come from, was a single figure sitting alone on horseback. They were still calling into the crowd. Speaking Sheikahn.

"Torren-_líta_!" Fen called, turning back around. He'd seen the boy fighting nearby him not long ago, so he couldn't have gotten far. He had need of him.

"Fen-_näba_!" The boy responded, approaching with a blood-streaked face. "What is it? Are you alright?"

Fen turned and pointed back to the hill where the rider was steering the horse downwards, into the battle ground. "There! Go to him! Before the fool gets himself killed!"

Torren checked behind him as a skirmish between a Sheikah and a Hylian drew near to them. The Hylian had his sword drawn, and was swinging calculated strikes as the Sheikah danced around his blade as if his pin-point accuracy was nothing, nipping at him with his own short blade. Torren wiped his brow with his free arm, the sleeve of his shirt coming away bloody.

Fen grabbed his collar and pulled him in, peering at the cut on his brow. "Are you alright, _líta_?"

The boy nodded. "Who is he?"

"I don't know, Torren, but you have to go! The warriors need me here with them!"

* * *

Torren broke away from Fen, immediately ducking under a large Hylian man who rushed at him, swinging his two-handed broadsword as if it weighed no more than a table knife. Torren rolled on the trampled ground, bringing his short sword up just as he came out of the roll, slicing the man under his arm where his chain mail was weak.

Back on his feet, Torren took off across the muddied grass, sheathing his sword so that he could accelerate into a sprint. He dodged every single Hylian that charged at him; thinking him a small, vulnerable target. They thought him easy to pick off, but that was a big mistake.

"Stop!" he yelled as he slowed, nearing the rider. He raised both of his hands, bowing low in order to not spook the horse. "Stop, it's alright!"

The rider looked up at him, crimson eyes wide, but most of his face concealed by the hood of a large black cloak. "I'm a friend!" Torren swore, grabbing the horse's reigns, which were hanging in front of the animal's nose. The rider sagged forward against the horse's neck, letting himself be led away.

Torren took the horse far around the battle, skirting the fighting until they were well behind it, back in the Sheikah camp. He pulled the horse to a stop before the sea of tents, tying it to the stake that the other horses had been tethered at before they'd been taken away for the battle. There was an eerie stillness over the camp; the sounds of battle could still be heard, but not a thing stirred on this side of the hill. Goddesses, he had nowhere to begin with this stranger. What should he say?

"I saw your eyes, so I know you're Sheikah. You understand me, right?" If the Sheikah on the horse didn't speak their language—like if he'd grown up among Hylians or whatever—Torren wasn't quite sure what he would do. His Hylian was barely passable; when he'd never been chosen to leave the desert, he hadn't really seen the point in learning.

When the rider didn't answer, Torren turned around to face him. "You know, you must—."

The rider didn't look so good. His face was hidden against the neck of the horse, but he was listing to the side, only one hand grasping into the horse's mane. "Are you alright?" Torren asked, stepping forward. The rider glanced up at him, their matching red eyes locking in a straight stare for a short second before he fell off the horse, landing on the ground with a muffled thud.

"Oh goddesses!" Torren dropped to the ground beside the rider, who was apparently badly wounded if he couldn't even stay seated on a horse. He put his hand under his head, lifting it up off the ground. The face was sunken and dirty, but there was something about it that...

The eyes opened, gazing back at him. They looked almost fogged-over, like he wasn't quite alert. The lips parted, and a light wheezing sound passed through them.

"Holy hell," Torren whispered, scooting forward and placing the fallen rider's head in his lap. "Sheik?"

The other boy blinked, still gazing up at him.

"Sheik, that's you? Oh my goddesses! What were you doing up there? How did you even get here? I mean, the village heard word that you'd escaped the castle, but we all figured that you'd fled south! What _happened_?!"

Sheik's eyes fluttered closed. "Torren," he murmured in a hoarse, dry voice.

"What is it, Sheik?" Torren brushed some of the hair out of his old friend's eyes.

"Are we winning?"

Torren smiled, his eyes softening. "Yes, Sheik, we are. Kyla-_ näba_ put Fen in charge of the warriors, and they're expecting the Hylians to retreat before very long. We won't know the... the casualties until the warriors get back, though."

"Is there anyone left in the camp?" Sheik asked, straining his head back in order to peer into the grassy streets between tents.

"Oh!" Torren's head snapped up. "Yeah, the healers were standing by in their tents in case any wounded were sent back. I should get you to them!"

"Help me back up onto the horse."

"No," Torren stood up, reaching down and gathering Sheik in his arms. "You don't look like there's much to you anymore—not that there was a whole lot to begin with." It took a little effort, but Torren got Sheik up into his arms, cradling him against his chest. It was a little awkward at first, because Sheik was so much taller than him, but he made it work.

Sheik gasped, burying his face in Torrens collar to muffle the loud groan coming out of his mouth.

"What's wrong?" Torren stood absolutely still, worried he'd done something wrong.

"Just... ah, just go... It's my... arm."

"Your arm?" Torren asked as he walked.

"It is a very long story."

"You can tell it when you're better, then. I missed you, Sheik. Home was really weird after you went. I definitely got into less trouble without you there, though." Torren snickered. "You should have seen Betali. She was tearing her hair out without a kid to take care of until she got pregnant."

Sheik picked his head off of Torren's chest, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Betali's with child?"

Torren grinned, nodding. "You're going to be an honorary brother. Fen is going to flip when he learns that that was you on the hill! He's the one who sent me after you, you know." Torren turned, ducking into one of the larger tents. There was a makeshift cot in the middle, and two other Sheikah working over low, makeshift counters.

"He says his arm is wounded," Torren explained, setting Sheik down on the cot.

The two healers bent over him once he was on his back, one on either side. They removed his cloak, revealing a dirtied white sling that completely covered his arm. One of them pushed Torren back, telling him to stay out of the way. Torren could barely see past their shoulders as they worked over him, but he caught glimpses. Like when they pulled his blackened, chalky-skinned arm out of the sling and laid it out on a low table that had been pushed haphazardly up against the cot. He looked away when they started unwinding the dirty cloth bandage from around his upper arm, because after that first glimpse of enflamed, puss-filled skin, he nearly lost his breakfast.

One of the healers glanced back at him. "_Líta_, why don't you go back to the battle? He will be safe here, don't worry. He's among his own kind," one of the healers said, a woman from Torren and Sheik's own village.

Torren looked up and caught Sheik's eye. The older boy gave him a jerky nod, and he took that as an okay to leave. Good friends or no, Torren just couldn't take that. He'd never had a strong stomach, and the _smell_ of decay was more than he could bear.

* * *

"Fen-_näba_! Fen!" Fen looked up from the bloodied cloth he was using to clean his sword. He looked around, wondering who the call had come from. The Hylians' leader had called for retreat only a few minutes ago—thank the goddesses—so the mood among them all was very somber. The Hylians had suffered... perhaps forty or fifty casualties, but they—like the Sheikah—seemed to be loath towards losing any of their warriors. Someone had come up to him and told him that they themselves had not lost very many, but the knowledge that they had lost any at all was difficult to bear.

Kyla was organizing crews to help carry back the fallen and wounded. It was such a terrible business they were at; having to watch brothers and sisters fall.

"Fen!" A hand on Fen's shoulder yanked him around, bringing him face to face with young Torren.

What could possibly be so important at a time like this? "What's wrong, _líta_, are you injured? Go the healers if you are, they'll take care of you. Have you seen your father?"

"No, Fen-_ näba_! Listen to me for a moment!" the boy pleaded, looking frantic. "The rider, the rider that you sent me after! He—."

An uneasy feeling pooled up in the pit of his stomach. "Did he hurt you?" Fen questioned, his eyes narrowed. He reached forward, wiping some of the blood off of the boy's forehead. "Who was he?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you! The rider was _Sheik_!" Torren shouted, looking angry and flustered.

Fen looked deep into the boy's eyes, searching for any trace of jesting or trickery there. But Torren wouldn't joke about something like that; he and Sheik had been very good friends. "What?" he asked as his brow pulled down, still not believing.

"Did I not say it clearly enough?! The rider was _Sheik_! I'm not lying or mistaken; I think I'd know the face of that boy when I see it! I don't know what he's doing here, but he's badly hurt, Fen! Let me take you to him!"

Fen grabbed the boy's sleeve, pulling him along behind as he sprinted the distance over the hill back into the camp. Holy, blessed, sweet goddesses! Sheik was _alive_! And here, in their camp! Fen hadn't seen his adopted son in several long months!

Fen sprinted over the hilltop and past the herd of horses tethered to the stakes. He ignored all the surprised calls as he darted between the tents, intent on his destination. A part of his mind kept trying to sew doubt within him, but he wouldn't have it. Sheik was alive, and according to Torren-_ líta_, he was in their encampment.

"Fen! Fen, wait!" Torren yelled from a few tents back. "You've gone too far! He's in this one!"

Fen stopped, turning around and hurrying into the right tent.

There was only one healer inside, one from their village that Fen knew very well; and... and there he was... lying still on the cot. His eyes were closed, and his chest was bare; his face sunken in, and his ribs protruding from his skin in a way that spoke of forced hunger. And... well, he _was_ badly injured. Fen couldn't describe it apart from a... well... half of his forearm was completely black and swollen, and the veins in his arm were engorged, and looked like they'd been pumped too-full of some sort of awful and thick black sludge. He couldn't see his upper arm past the mountain of leaves and poultices pressed into it, but any wound that could require so much medicine was not a benign, no matter how you looked at it.

"Fen..." Fen looked up from his... goddesses, from his _son_. "Perhaps you would like to sit down so that I can tell you the extent of the damage," the healer suggested.

Fen nodded wordlessly, sliding down to sit on a crate.

The healer cleared her throat before walking over to stand between Sheik and Fen, clasping her hands together. "Now, the boy was in so much pain that I made the decision to put him under. He was hiding it well, but I could tell that he was suffering. And as you can see, his body is weak, and he was in no condition to be taking all of that on. Now, we've looked at it, and there are two distinct wounds, I'm guessing from arrows, in his upper arm. I don't think they were ever treated properly, because they're terribly swollen, and there's evidence of... of blood poisoning. That's here," the healer pointed to the engorged veins without touching them. She went on to talk about the possible misuse of a tourniquet, pointing out the thick indentation in his skin, explaining about cut off arteries and the consequences of a body not being able to get blood to all the places that needed it. She talked for a short time about death of tissue—dry gangrene, she called it—and how it sort of... mummified the bits that were affected. It was all too much for Fen to take on. Torren walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder, but that did little to console him.

"Blood poisoning... and gangrene?" Fen looked up from the sleeping boy to the healer. "Who did this to him?"

"I fear we will not know until he wakes again in a few hours."

"How—how will he get better?"

The healer looked at the ground, shocks of her long golden hair tumbling out of the loose bun on her head. "Fen-_parí_, I don't want to make any assumptions here until I have other opinions, But... I... I strongly predict that the boy will lose his arm."

Fen's heart dropped inside of his chest. In that moment, he thought of Sheik growing up in the desert; of his love of activity and exploration. How he excelled ahead of all the other students in his training. He would not be able to do any of the things he used to do... His... identity as a capable, fighting Sheikah would be snatched away. "Is there no other way?" he whispered.

"I believe that it his arm or his life, Fen, and doing this sooner rather than later is important to his life. It's already gone untreated far longer than it should have."

Fen did not answer for a long time. He couldn't stop himself from remembering Sheik as a little boy, playful and yet still so serious in his training. Him on his first hunt when he was eight, when he managed to catch a sand hare with Kaiden. Goddesses, the first time Sheik had met Kaiden, the two had fallen in love. Sheik had never gone hunting with another hawk. His first time shooting a bow and arrow... oh goddesses, he wouldn't even be able to do _that_ anymore! Fen guessed this was the work of the Hylians... why else would Sheik be in the middle of Hyrule field, so badly hurt? Those brutes probably didn't even see him as a person. A person who had people that loved him and wanted him safe; a person with a past and history... They'd treated him like an animal.

"Fen-_ parí_?" The healer woke him from his thinking.

Fen closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands, speaking into them. "We will do what we have to do to save his life. I want to speak with him when he wakes. Then we will tell him what must be done."

* * *

**I apologize for how many times the POVs switched this chapter, but I think it flowed all right. Battles aren't supposed to run smooth and easy anyways, you know?**

**Expect the next chapter on Tuesday!  
**


	31. Among the Sheikah

******A day late! I'm sorry... :)**

******Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

******The Sheikah**

* * *

******Chapter Thirty-One: Among the Sheikah**

When Sheik opened his eyes, he felt like he'd been sleeping for a hundred years. He was more rested then he'd been in the past two weeks combined. Granted, he still felt tired; but other than that, he was blissfully free of any maladies! He didn't hurt, have any pains, or ache. Whatever they'd done to him had healed him!

"He's awake!" a familiar voice called from his bedside. Sheik looked over to see Torren sitting next to him on a crate. The tiniest of smiles pulled at the corners of his mouth. It felt so good to be among familiars again. People he really _knew_, and who cared for him. Torren had been one of his best friends while they were growing up. His hair was more brown than blonde, and he was short for his age, but he was a full-blooded Sheikah, tried and true. Torren was only a year behind Sheik, so they'd done quite a bit of training together; fighting, hunting, games, mischief... Sheik could play the harp, and Torren was quite good on the ocarina, so sometimes when they had the chance, they'd play together. Sheik had... he'd had a small crush on the boy for a while when they were growing up, but he'd dismissed it long ago.

"You sit with him, _l__í__ta_," a different voice said. Sheik turned his head to see Marlin, one of the healers from their own village standing in the tent entrance. "I'll be back with him in a few minutes." She smiled at Sheik before she ducked under the flap.

"Back with who?" Sheik asked in a hoarse voice.

"She's going to get Fen," Torren answered from his crate. "He wants to talk with you before you start... discussing what to do about... well, you know."

"What to do about what?" Something in his mind told him that whatever Torren was referring to was painfully obvious, but he just couldn't seem to make the connection.

Torren looked at him funny. "Your arm, Sheik. They're saying they'll have to..." the boy trailed off, looking away. "Well... the healer will tell you about it soon."

Sheik nodded, eyebrows pulling together as the reminder washed over him. The absence of the pain had pulled the knowledge of his injury from his mind. Sheik could guess what was in store for him, but he felt like if he acknowledged the possibility of _that _occurring, then it would really come to pass. There was an expression: 'out of sight, out of mind.' Well, 'pushed from thought, pushed from mind' was becoming quite true for him as well. As long as he didn't think about it, then it couldn't worry him. It was an incredibly difficult balance to keep.

"So..." Sheik began, looking over at Torren again. "How have you been, _l__í__ta_?"

Torren made a pouty face, though a hint of a smile snatched at his lips. "You can't call me that, Sheik. I'm only a year younger than you, and I'm definitely not of lower rank!"

"You finally turned sixteen while I was gone, eh?" Sheik laughed, thrilled when the sensation didn't bring on any pain. Over the past couple of days, merely breathing had become an agonizing strain.

"I did," Torren replied. "So I got to stop training with the younger kids and join the adults." He grinned. "But since I didn't have any sort of duty to prepare for, life just sort of... stayed the same." They looked at each other for a long moment before Torren spoke up again. "I'd ask you what's been going on in your life, but I'm pretty sure Fen is eager to hear all of that as well, and I don't want to make you say it twice."

"Fen is here?" Sheik breathed.

Torren nodded. "He's been waiting for you to wake up. He sat by your side for nearly an hour before Osidian-_näba_ came in here and ordered him to come out and help deal with a few things."

"How long have I been asleep?"

Torren shrugged. "Four hours or so. It got dark while you were sleeping. Most of the camp is out holding a vigil for everyone who fell during the battle."

"How many?" Sheik asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

"Thirteen," Torren replied glumly. "None from our village, but a father of four was among them. I heard all this from another boy from a different village that I've become friends with. My father also got a pretty nasty cut on his leg, but he'll be alright."

"We can't go to war with all of Hyrule," Sheik sighed, laying his head back against the hard pillow. "We'll lose too many."

Torren nodded. "Don't think about that now, Sheik. Just worry about yourself."

Sheik looked away from his friend up to the top of the tent. "As soon as I'm well again, I need to ride back down into Termina."

"Why?"

"Because I do," Sheik snapped. "I... well..." He sighed. "You'll hear all about it when Fen gets in here, I suppose."

They talked about trivial things for a few more minutes until Marlin pushed back through the tent flaps, followed by Fen, whose crimson eyes lit up when he saw Sheik staring back at him. "Sheik!" Fen rushed to his bedside, squatting down next to him and holding Sheik's face in his hands, brushing his large, rough thumbs over his cheeks. "_L__í__ta_, you... I'm so happy you're safe," he whispered, leaning in and kissing Sheik on the forehead before pulling back and sitting on the crate beside Torren, his eyes still locked on Sheik. "When we'd heard you'd gone away from the castle, we didn't know whether or not you were alright, and now that you're..." Fen trailed off, wiping stray tears off of his cheeks. "_ L__í__ta_, you have to tell us everything."

Now that everything needed said, Sheik found his throat clogged, and the words wouldn't come easy to him. His tongue was thick and heavy in his mouth. He'd really have to tell them about _everything_, not just his capture. He almost didn't want to. Sheik couldn't even really remember. When _had_ this whole thing started? Well, it had all began when he'd escaped the castle; he'd heard the phrase 'escape from the castle' so many times that it was starting to lose its meaning. He remembered why he'd done it, though; and that's where he supposed he needed to start.

Because his story didn't start with a land falling into war. It started with a small, blue-eyed boy that had unknowingly made Sheik his the very first time he'd opened up his mouth.

"Just start with why you left the princess's service," Fen suggested, leaning his elbows on his knees.

"No, I can't start there," Sheik said, turning his head to look at both of them. Aside from Betali, they were the two he'd been closest to growing up. They... they wouldn't judge him harshly for the... somewhat rash decisions he'd made, would they? "I need to start earlier in order for you to understand everything that's gone on over the months since I left." Sheik _had_ been gone from the desert for over half a year.

They both looked a little confused, but they nodded and let him continue.

"Do you..." Sheik sighed, resigning himself to a very long and revealing confession. "Do you remember when that family of Hylians got lost in the desert? The father and three boys?"

Fen's eyebrows knitted together. "I... I think so."

"You have to remember them clearly," Sheik said, a little frustrated. "I was on a hunt when I saw them, and I found you and brought you to them. They were arguing about whether or not to come back to the village or not, and the father almost hit his youngest son. Do you remember that? You stopped him."

"Yes, Sheik, I do recall, but—."

"I remember them," Torren interrupted. "I was playing my ocarina around the fire that night when you and one of the boys got drunk and started dancing." He rolled his eyes.

Sheik's lips twitched up into a smile at the memory. "My story... has a lot to do with him; the youngest boy. The one you remember, Torren," Sheik confessed, internally grimacing at the baffled expressions that Fen and Torren gave him. Goddesses, they knew nothing about his... _inclination_. How was he supposed to tell all of this without hiding his face away in a blanket out of sheer embarrassment? He wasn't at all embarrassed to love Link, but admitting to people who had known him his whole life something this big was... difficult. "We had a bit of a... connection that night. I thought about him a lot over the next couple of months leading up to my seventeenth birthday. He... I couldn't get him out of my head." Fen was gazing at him oddly. Torren had his brows drawn down. "And then after I'd been in Castle Town for a while, I... well, I saw him."

"You saw... the Hylian boy?" Fen asked.

Sheik nodded. "And then all the things that he'd started me thinking were dredged up again, and all those thoughts I'd been suppressing since I started my duty were all brought back up to the surface. Princess Zelda saw me acting differently, so she questioned me and when she found out it was because I'd seen the boy, she called him to the castle in order to meet him."

Sheik closed his eyes. "...And he was wonderful, and so, so excited to see me. After just that one day that we'd known each other in the desert-months before-he was all smiles, and... well, the next day, Zelda asked me again what had me so distracted. And when I told her... she said that the only way that I could have what I wanted would be to leave her service. She offered to help me."

"What exactly _did_ you want?"

"I wanted..." Goddesses, Sheik couldn't say this out loud. He _couldn't_. His own thought-processes back then had been wildly erratic. He hadn't been thinking straight, he'd been thinking _Link_; and he couldn't very well just tell them straight out that it was the boy himself he'd wanted! "I wanted to run away. With him."

"Why?" Torren asked, head cocked to the side. Fen said nothing, but he watched Sheik carefully, with narrowed, thoughtful eyes.

"Because I couldn't get him out of my head," he whined. "His words, his plight and what he was going through with his family, his _face_. He was the only thing around me that seemed to make sense anymore; everything else seemed pointless, and I was..." Oh goddesses, here it was. This was it. "Well, with my duty, I wouldn't have been able to see him regularly, or at all, and I was really, _really_... uh, _attracted_ to him."

Fen looked deeply confused, but Torren got it, and he looked surprised. "You liked him? Like you _like_ liked him?"

Sheik felt trapped. "I... yeah. And I ran away with him. I know it was probably rash, but I wanted out of the life I was living so badly, and so did he. His father was... abusive towards him. We were kindred. I swear to the goddesses, it was meant to be that we found each other there, because I have never loved anyone so much as I love him."

"You... love him? That tiny little wisp of a boy from the desert?" Fen asked, sounding like he didn't believe it.

Sheik nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. "Fen, I... I can't even tell you how much he means to me." The words were choking him, lodging in his throat. "I love him so, so much. He's become my entire world over the past couple of months. We've been through everything together, and I will never, _ever _regret my decision to leave my duty in order to be with him."

"So then where is he?" Torren asked flatly. Sheik was actually very surprised by how calmly the two were reacting to this news. There was no revulsion or questioning from either of them, nor Marlin. They... they accepted him. His people might be submerging themselves into a civil war, but damn it, it felt good to know that they knew about him and yet nothing had changed.

"He... he's back in Termina."

"So what are you doing _here_?" Torren asked, eyes locked squarely on Sheik. He wasn't usually this... abrupt.

"Well," Sheik sighed. "That would explain this." He cast a bitter look down at his arm, his bare chest suddenly feeling too cold. "After we found out about what the Hylians had done to the rebel Sheikah in Termina…" Sheik swallowed. It still hurt so _badly_ to think about the families that had been massacred that day. "My anger got a bit out of control. I wanted to hunt down the army and pick of stragglers. Link—that's his name: Link—urged me to not take violent measures. He said that it would make a more... positive difference if I contacted Zelda somehow and asked her to do something to help with the situation, or at least bring the people who murdered all those Sheikah to justice. By then I understood that no matter what, the Sheikah needed to be free."

"I'm guessing that you did not listen to your _nal__í_, Sheik." Fen said in a quiet voice.

Sheik's eyes snapped up to Fen's, and he stared at him for a long moment with a sharp expression. Fen had said _nal__í_.' Sheik hadn't used that word yet. "How—?"

"Sheik-_líta_, I've known you your entire life. And... The way you talk about this boy... this _Link_; there is no doubt in my mind that he is the one of your heart. So you should have _listened_ to him, and from your current and recent status, I'm guessing that you didn't. Always listen to your better half, Sheik. They're called that for a reason."

Sheik shook his head sadly. "I wish a thousand times over that I had, you have no idea. I left him in our bed in the middle of the night and snuck out of the inn we were staying at like I was a thief trying to slip by without notice. I was able to track down a female officer who had deserted her contingent, and I... Fen, I... I killed her, in cold blood." Fen's eyes softened as Sheik whimpered pitifully. "I murdered her, and after I'd done it, I immediately felt in my heart that I'd done wrong, so I rushed back to apologize to Link-_ nal__í_. But... a soldier of the Hylian army had been watching me in the town I'd found the woman in. The entire contingent followed me back to the inn where I was staying with Link and his family—it's a long story why his family was there with us—and they took me from him. They knocked me unconscious and abducted me and one other Sheikah who owned the inn."

"So you were captured by the Hylians." Fen summarized.

Sheik nodded. "And they recognized me as the Sheikah that had escaped the castle. One night I tried to escape with the other Sheikah, but they shot me, here." Sheik looked down at his arm again. "Kafei, the other Sheikah, got away, but... not me. They shot me twice, and then they put a tourniquet on my arm and left it on for almost a whole day. They refused me medicine, and with the weather and hard traveling... that's… how I got like this."

"So it _was_ the Hylians," Fen cursed.

"I escaped during the battle. They didn't leave very many behind to guard me, so I easily got away, even with this slowing me down." Sheik looked angrily down at his arm. He hated the sight of it. "Speaking of which... why can't I feel it? All of the pain is gone."

"I gave you strong medicine to kill the pain," Marlin answered. "And now that we're on the subject, Sheik, we all need to talk about this." Marlin looked at Fen with an expectant, yet sad expression. "Fen, I think it's best that you tell him."

"I'm sure I can guess," Sheik muttered sullenly, feeling tired again.

"_L__í__ta_, you... The arm, it's... it's too damaged to save." Fen looked at him squarely in the eye, appearing stern but speaking with a sad tone. Torren had his head in his hands. "Marlin says we'll need to remove it if you're to live."

Sheik looked away, not saying anything in response. In the back of his mind, the tiny voice of common sense had been telling him all this time that this would be the outcome; but that didn't lessen the blow any. The tears that had been watering his eyes were falling down the sides of his face now, landing on the rough pillow below. They stung as they trickled off of his dry, wind-bitten skin. Nothing would be the same after. Nothing. He wouldn't be able to fight, hunt, or shoot ever again. He wouldn't be able to do any of the things he used to do and enjoy. And Link... goddesses, he would never again be able to wrap the boy up safely in his arms or... or cup his face with both hands as they kissed, or protect him properly from anyone who meant him harm. And... goddesses, Sheik hadn't even dared to put any thought into whether or not Link would even _want_ him if he were... disfigured like that. He might not, and oh, that stung his heart.

Sheik reached up with his good, healthy arm and wiped at his eyes, looking over at Marlin. "If it is what needs to be done, then we must do it."

"Sheik..." Fen began.

"No!" he bit, baring his teeth. "We're not going to sulk over it like it is some great loss when there are those who have given and lost their lives today! It will be done, and I'll move on. That is it."

"But, Sheik," Torren started.

"I said no," Sheik growled at him, silencing the younger boy with an angry glare. "I'll be fine."

"It needs to be done as soon as we can, Sheik," Marlin put in. "We'll put you under, of course, and you won't feel a bit during the procedure."

"Just do it now," Sheik sighed tiredly. "And let us be done with it."

* * *

He still felt it. Just having woken up less than an hour ago, two days after the procedure, and doped up so far on pain-killing drugs that he wasn't really able to produce coherent thought; he could still wiggle his fingers and move his wrist. It was like nothing had changed; he had a phantom limb. For a moment when he had first woken up, he almost believed that they had miraculously been able to heal him; but when he looked down and saw the stump, swathed heavily in pristine white bandages, he just... he accepted it.

It didn't feel like the limb was gone, though he knew it was. He was a one-armed Sheikah, and all he was good for at the time being was lying around on a cot; twitching and staring at the tent ceiling.

He'd been put under for the operation, so he remembered absolutely nothing. Marlin said that he'd slept for a full two days afterwards. She also said that with all the medicine and care that was being offered to him, he would heal just fine. She said that she would be sure to send in Fen or Torren to sit with him, but that had been ages ago. Sheik was just about ready to close his eyes again and sleep when Torren pushed through the tent flap.

"Hey," Sheik greeted, his voice hoarse and dry.

Torren mustered up a smile, but goddesses, he looked even more tired than Sheik felt.

"You don't look so good," Sheik commented as the younger boy sat down on the crate beside him.

"Speak for yourself, stumpy," he grumbled. Sheik made a face. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't call you that. I'm just feeling a little grumpy. Lack of sleep, I think. And... all that's been going on."

"Did you stay up at the vigil after you left here?"

"Yeah, I did. Marlin said I could stay while they... well, you know." Sheik did know. Torren had never really had a strong constitution. "But there was no way I'd ever be able to sit through that without losing everything I've eaten in the past week, so I went out and sat with everyone. And then yesterday was all about helping run errands for the healers, who were putting us all on runs and expeditions to get herbs and all kinds of things for the wounded. And then this morning was all about packing up the camp."

Sheik's eyes widened. "They're going back on the move?"

Torren shrugged. "I talked to Fen. He gets to sit in on all the chiefs' discussions because he's Osidian-_näba's_ advisor. He said that they're going to send a small amount of us down into Termina to appeal to their king and try to become allies against the Hylians."

"Why would the Terminans be sympathetic towards us? They and the Hylians have never been on bad terms, apart from now."

"We're hoping they're still angry about Hyrule sending a great deal of armed troops into their land without warning or invitation."

Sheik chuckled. "Aye, that would do it, I suppose."

Torren smiled softly. "So how are you feeling?"

"I don't feel pain, but I think that's because of all the medicines Marlin's been feeding into me. It feels... a bit odd; like it's not really gone, but I'm determined not to feel sorry for myself. I'll not mope around over what's happened, because I really only have myself to blame for it. If I had of just _listened_ to Link and not taken violent measures, then I never would have been spotted by the soldiers in the first place, and—." Sheik paused. Torren was giving him the oddest expression. "What?"

"It's just... a bit weird is all," Torren murmured, looking uncomfortable.

Sheik's hackles were beginning to rise, but he reminded himself that Torren was his friend. "What's a bit weird?"

"I mean... I grew up with you. I still sort of think about us as being young and kids and everything. But then you come back and tell us that you've found your _nal__í_—like, you've _already_ found love at _seventeen_—and... And that you left your duties for a _boy_? You're in love with a _boy_." Torren's face went flat. "And to be honest, I'm just... I'm really surprised that—"

_Here it comes,_ Sheik thought. _The speech about how what I am and what I've done is immoral and wrong._

"—I didn't realize it sooner, that you were like that. I'm sorry!" The younger boy offered up a meager, embarrassed smile. "We were best friends, you know; you could have told me. We could have found you a boyfriend or something, I don't know..."

"What?" Sheik was taken aback.

"Like... like remember when I had that thing back with that girl when we were like... twelve? You remember Lara, right? I mean... we could have gotten you something like that, some messy childhood memories!"

Sheik laughed lightly, utterly relieved and a bit amused at the odd concentration of Torren's worries. "That hardly matters now, Tor."

"Did you... did you ever... think that way about... about me?" Torren's cheeks were a bright red, but he managed to retain eye contact.

Sheik chuckled, looking back up at the top of the tent "What makes you ask that?"

"Curiosity, I suppose. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I'm definitely a looker." The boy sprouted a cocky grin, looking so sure of himself. Sheik couldn't help but smile at it.

"Hmm, well… I did for a long while. For a couple years during our childhood, everything became about you; but don't let your head get too inflated, because the infatuation passed."

"When did it pass?"

Sheik raised his eyebrows, glancing away from the tent roof, back at the younger boy. This was too amusingly awkward. "When I turned thirteen or fourteen, somewhere around that time. I just... gave up. It's all right though, Torren, it was a trivial little thing. Nothing to get worked up over."

Torren smiled down at him. "I'm happy for you, though. That you found someone who makes you happy. It would be... A great experience to meet him someday. The person who managed to catch your eye."

Sheik laughed, still feeling no effects of pain. "What about you? Someone special in your life, little boy?"

Torren rolled his eyes but shook his head. "No way. I've got more important things to worry about, like winning this war."

"Smart boy," Sheik sniffed. "Have you seen Fen around?"

"He's going around giving everybody orders," Torren sighed. "Organizing the team that'll be going down into Termina."

"Are you going?" Sheik asked, already suspecting the answer.

Torren nodded. "So is my father. We like to stay together."

"I want to go." Sheik had to get back to Link; doing anything else wasn't even an option in his mind.

Torren wrinkled his nose. "Are you crazy? You've barely begun healing!"

"If Fen's organizing it, than he's most likely leading it, and I should stay with him. I want to go. I need to get south again."

"What if he's not there anymore?" Torren asked quietly. "What if he isn't where you think he is?"

"Then I'll find him, Tor. It's not worth discussing. I'm going."

"...We all want you to heal alright, Sheik, and—."

"Just stop, alright? It's not up for debate."

Sheik heard the younger boy give out a huge sigh before changing the subject. "So... how was your big, fancy, prestigious position at the castle?"

Sheik chuckled, not particularly fond of the memories of those days. "It really wasn't all that bad. It was mostly just boring, and all the townspeople and guards were incredibly rude to me."

"Yeah, I'm certainly glad I never got picked to go. Pretty sure I would've hated it."

"You would have," Sheik affirmed. "Even more than I did. And then you would have done something similar to me, and run off with the shoemaker's daughter or something like that."

"I do have that certain charm," Torren agreed brightly. They both turned as the tent flaps were pulled aside; and much to their surprise, Fen entered into the small space.

"Hello," Fen greeted warmly, coming to stand near the cot and crossing his arms. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Not much pain, but I suspect in an hour or two I'll be feeling the full effects of..." he looked down at the white stump. He didn't like looking at it; it didn't feel like it was really a part of his body. Or… a part _missing_ from his body, more accurately. They'd cut into him three or four inches below the shoulder, just above where the bolt wounds had been. He didn't know how to continue, so he started anew. "To be honest, it doesn't feel like anything's changed. I don't think it will until I start trying to take on tasks."

"You're sound of mind?" Fen asked, ever the forward one.

Sheik looked away, answering evasively: "I'll be alright, Fen. You have enough things to worry about without worrying about me."

* * *

"You know, after that big Festival of Lights hoopla a week and a half ago, everything else just looks dull in comparison. Why can't they hang lanterns _everywhere_? Light up the world?" Luca complained.

Davin rolled his eyes. "If I didn't know any better, Luca, I'd accuse you of still being drunk, after all this time. That sounds a lot like your usual drunk talk to me."

"Bah!" Luca kicked at the dirt as they walked. They'd been traveling for over two weeks, and were all getting tired of life on the road. "Do we even know where we're going anymore?"

"Castle Town," Link muttered. "That's where they'll be taking him." The younger boy slowed, pulling a waterskin out of one of Epona's saddlebags.

Davin sighed, staring thoughtfully at the ground. When they were in Salayia, at the festival, Luca had said something about how he believed Sheik was still alive because they couldn't afford to think otherwise. But as time kept passing by, and when time after time all they saw on the road was other travelers, Davin had difficulty keeping Luca's mentality. He wanted to believe the best, but his mind told him to prepare for the worst.

"It'll be okay," Link vowed, staring straight ahead. Davin wondered whether he said it for their benefit or for his own. "We're only about two days behind them, you know. And we should be gaining on them, because we'll be moving faster than an entire army will." Epona tossed her head, and Link had to stop talking in order to rein her in again.

"We'll, we did run into all those campfires yesterday," Davin sighed. "At least we know we're on the right track. He put on his brave face, swallowing all the little doubts. "Perhaps we'll reach them before too much longer."

* * *

**So I hope to have the next chapter up on Wednesday: one week from today, so stay tuned, and thanks so much for reading!**


	32. Not So Bad After All

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Not So Bad After All**

"Sheik, do you need some help there?"

Sheik scowled at the stirrups, up so high on the horse's flank. He ignored Torren's inquiry and raised a foot into one, jumping up and grasping at the other side of the saddle with his arm; only to fall back when he couldn't get enough leverage to haul himself up and over. He landed back on his feet, hard enough to emit a groan from between his pursed lips. This really shouldn't be so hard. He could do it on his own, if he just set his mind to it. He tried again, managing to get his other foot off the ground this time, but still falling back all the same.

"Here." Torren walked over and crouched down, making a step with his hands. He looked up at Sheik, nodding to him that it was alright.

Sheik crossed his arms. Well, he started to cross them, until he realized he couldn't. He had to settle for placing his right hand haughtily on his hip as he drew his brow down. "Torren, please. I have to learn how to manage on my own," he bit. "I can't become dependent on everyone doing every little thing for me like I'm some helpless child."

Torren rolled his eyes. "Sheik, really. It's one time."

"What about the next time, though?" Sheik pressed, shifting his footing.

"Next time, I swear to you that I'll watch you struggle for hours and not lift a single finger to help you."

Despite the heavy weight of sadness and apprehension pressing down over him, Sheik had to let out a little smile at that. Torren was trying.

Sheik stepped forward, placing one foot in the stirrup and the other in Torren's cupped hands, letting himself be lifted until he could successfully swing his leg over to the other side. He held tightly to the pommel with his hand, giving Torren a brief nod of thanks.

Before very much longer, the small contingent of Sheikah set out southward, further into Hyrule Field and on their way to Termina. As they were riding, Sheik had nothing to do but let his mind wander. Where was Link, anyways? Knowing him, he'd probably shot out right after him, flying over the countryside so that they could be together again. Or maybe Sheik was wrong. Maybe Link had wept for the loss and then moved on. He'd been furious with Sheik before everything that had happened, and rightly so.

Even if he couldn't find Link in Termina, Sheik wanted to at least stay with Fen and Torren. Being around people he knew loved him was a salve to the gaping wound that'd been torn into him, both literally and figuratively. It made him feel better, even if all he could really think about was being near Link again; having someone to talk to, to kiss, and to be there in the ways he needed. To make him feel loved, and wanted, and important. Link was the only one who could fill that hole. Emotional support. Family. He would really like to bring his family together; or what was left of it, since his parents' passing. For Fen and Betali to be reacquainted with Link, and Torren and him to meet. After all, he'd met Link's family. He wanted to share his as well.

And he really believed that he'd be able to. A small, nasty voice in his head kept screaming horrible thoughts at him; things like: 'You're disgusting now; disfigured. He'll never want you again!' And 'No one could ever forgive you for what you did. You lied and you schemed to go and kill that woman, Sheik. That is unforgivable.'

Those thoughts passed through his mind, but then he got to really thinking about Link: sweet, gentle, caring, unassuming, protective Link. Although he would not blame his _nalí _if the thoughts he was having were actually the case, he just really didn't think they were. A small part of him just sort of instinctually knew that he was being missed just as much as he was missing. If he could no longer be an asset to his people in this war, he would go on and give all the love and support he could to Link. He would try and protect him as best he could as well, despite his... Sheik could only imagine the things Link would say in response to his... His... Ah, cracking hell, he couldn't even think it… He glanced over at right about where the stump of his arm was hidden inside the dark traveling cloak.

"I don't like how quiet you're being, Sheik," Torren called from where he rode next to him. It was lovely that they all had mounts for this journey; they would be making the distance to Termina in half the time, which was nice because all this back and forth business between Hyrule and Termina was getting tiresome. But they would reach the Terminan castle within a week. Sheik was itching to go faster, but he knew that rushing would only hurt the horses.

"I'm thinking," he replied, twisting his back to compensate for a sharp stumble his horse made because of an unseen dip in the field. He was almost thrown off, but he managed to grip tight to the pommel with his hand.

"Obviously," Torren snorted. "You over-think everything. It'd be rare to find a time when you _aren't_ thinking."

"Shut up, Tor," Sheik snapped. "I'm tired enough without you bothering me like the irritating gadfly you are."

"Hey now, hey now!" Tor protested. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood! We're on the edge of a war, a little lightening humor won't hurt anyone, you great big grouch."

"Tor," Sheik whined, casting an irritated look over at the boy. The two of them were falling into old patterns quick, despite everything going on around them. They fit together like two peas in a pod. Torren's bright, boastful attitude complimented Sheik's dry, witty humor and often bad temperament. Their relationship was natural, comfortable, and more than a decade old.

"Don't 'Tor' me, Sheik," Torren snapped. "After all, I'm just trying to save you from your own tendency to think everything into a bloody pulp."

"Can't you just go away?" Sheik complained, though in all honesty, he felt fairly content considering his circumstances. The group of Sheikah had set the pace of a light gallop, and they were making excellent time. It was early afternoon, and the winter sun was warming the back of his neck, helping to cut through the biting winter chill.

"Nah," Torren called back. "You'd miss me if I rode ahead."

"Go ride with your father," he grumbled. If Sheik was anything, he was stubborn.

"Will you just lighten up?" Tor snapped back. Based on the tone of his voice, Sheik could tell that the younger boy was starting to get irritated. "I know you're worried, but we'll find him, alright Sheik?" Sheik looked over at him, feeling just a little heartened by the reassuring expression on Torren's face. "I swear to you we will, and then maybe you can find yourself a little peace. Just stop being so irritable..."

Sheik snorted loudly. "I'm entitled to be irritable, I think, considering all that's happened to me!"

"Come on, you could act just a little bit more excited that I'm back in your life. I mean come on, I'm wonderful!"

"You're conceded."

"You're a bore."

"You're irritating!"

"Sullen."

"Boastful."

"A _complete_ drag."

"A complete _idiot_!"

"I think that will be quite enough, boys," a stern voice came from behind them. Both Sheik and Torren glanced back to see Tor's father, Gilan, coming up behind them. He appeared stern, but rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "You sound just as bad as you did when you were children."

"That's because Sheik is just as much of an ass now as he was back then, _dad_," Torren answered.

"Watch the words you're using, son; and I'm sure he can be afforded a little more leniency than you're allowing him." Gilan muttered. "Alright, Sheik?"

Sheik smiled faintly, nodding to him. "How's your leg?"

"Sore, but it's not been giving me much trouble," Gilan responded, steering his horse between the two of them. "Have something to say to Fen, at the front of the line." He pushed past them, weaving between the closely clustered Sheikah.

"How's your mother?" Sheik asked several minutes later.

A short bark of laughter shot out of Tor's mouth. "Pregnant. Again."

"Goddesses, how many siblings do you have now?"

"This one will make seven, including me. Why, do you want a few? 'Cause you can have them. I'd trade them all for a good hunting bow."

Sheik's lips quirked. He knew that Torren was in fact very fond of his little brothers and sisters. "No, your siblings are bound to be just as irritating as you, and I could never keep track of all their names."

"I... I heard that your mother and father were among those who fell in Termina, Sheik. I'm sorry," Tor said softly.

Sheik swallowed. "I didn't know them."

"They were still your parents."

Sheik shook his head. "They didn't raise me. I knew nothing about them, aside from the one time I met them."

"Did you?"

Sheik nodded, keeping his eyes fixed forward. "They captured Link and I, actually. It was all a great misunderstanding; but of course he's Hylian, and that's enough to make any Sheikah suspicious, especially in their position."

"But they captured you?"

Sheik nodded. "They were quite rough with him. To be honest, my father proved to be quite a single-minded man, but my mother made an effort to try and understand my feelings. Of course I'm sad that they're gone. I would have perhaps liked to reconcile with them someday."

"You still have Fen and Betali, though," Tor offered. "And me, if that even counts for anything in your thick blonde head." He chuckled lightly. "I'll always be there for you, Sheik, no matter what. We're best friends, and as far as I'm concerned, nothing could ever change that. I love you, you stupid blockhead."

* * *

"It's getting dark, Link," Luca called from several paces behind him. Link turned to regard him silently, pulling Epona to a stop. "I think we'd better make camp for the night."

Link closed his eyes for a moment, sighing loudly. "I was so sure we'd catch up to them today," he murmured quietly. "I mean, I've been trying to keep a schedule, and based on my calculations, we—."

"Link, please just let your mind rest," Davin murmured. "We're making progress each and every day, and I just can't stand to see you look like that anymore."

"What am I supposed to look like, Dav?" Link snapped, throwing his pack on the ground. He felt bad; Davin didn't deserve the whipping end of his frustrations, but he was just so _exasperated._ "We're probably chasing after _nothing_, and you both know it," he murmured glumly. "You're both just humoring me, because neither of you have it in you to sit me down and tell me that this whole thing is a stupid exercise in futility."

"Link, no..." Davin murmured, but Luca put a hand on his shoulder and simply shook his head. Link hung his head and turned back around slowly, flipping open one of Epona's saddlebags.

They hadn't even been preparing the camp for a full ten minutes when Link spotted a shadow on the horizon. Someone on horseback was circling around on a nearby hilltop, heading down to approach them. Much to Link's surprise, as the rider drew nearer, he recognized the easily definable characteristics of him: blonde hair, lean, tan skin. A Sheikah.

* * *

After some mild talk, the Sheikah scout on horseback had offered to take them back into their camp; _after_ he had deduced that they likely would not make any trouble. They were now standing in front of the camp, a whole slew of Sheikah warriors surrounding them. They'd been talking for several minutes, though Link hadn't been paying the exchanged words much attention. He tuned back in to what was being discussed around the time Luca asked what so many Sheikah were doing out of the desert.

"In this time of war between our two races, I'm sorry to say that we cannot divulge or intentions, nor the reason for our travels to you. It saddens me that we must treat each other this way, but we hope that it will not be as such for very much longer." The Sheikah who'd been speaking looked behind him as another came forward from the back of the group. This newcomer wore a weary expression, but he had a strong, friendly aura about him. Link recognized him instantly, despite the nearly half a year of time that separated them from their first meeting. That day and night in the desert was like a gleaming diamond amongst a thousand dirty pebbles to him. He remembered every single detail, including the identity of the man now before him. He was almost identical to what he looked like all that time ago, although his hair was severely shorter.

It was Fen. The man that was practically Sheik's father, or so Link had been told. Hope hit him hard, like a large hammer shattering every single bone in his body. Tears of relief were threatening to spill from his eyes. Finally, he was getting somewhere! How could all these Sheikah _not_ have seen the Hylian soldiers passing by? "I've just heard of you three," Fen said warmly. "Please, do not fear us." He wore a kind expression. "Of course, we offer you our hospitality for the night. From the look of you, you've been on the road for quite a while. Stay with us tonight and rest easy. We mean you no harm if you mean us none." Fen had indeed noticed Link's intent stare while he was speaking, though he had ignored it. After all, he'd have no remembrance of him, surely.

Link was still too surprised to speak, and Davin just didn't like speaking, so Luca took up the communications. "Thank you, we really appreciate it. And we don't mean you any harm at all. We've no quarrel with the Sheikah."

Fen smiled warmly at that news and nodded to Luca. "Are you all brothers, then?"

"No, these two are," Luca answered on cue, slinging an arm around Davin's shoulders and gesturing to Link with a nod. "Afraid I'm just a tag-along."

Fen nodded, seeming genuinely interested in the conversation and all that Luca was saying. "Would it be very rude of me to ask you where you are all on your way to?" Link smiled at the thick accent coating the man's Hylian. It reminded him of the rare special times that Sheik would speak full sentences at a time in the beautiful language.

"Not rude at all. We're looking for someone, actually," Luca supplied. "We were all staying at an inn down in Termina when a friend of Link's here," Luca gestured to Link again, using the hand that was resting over Davin's shoulders. "Got taken by a batch of Hylian soldiers. We've been on their trail for nearly two weeks. Absolutely exhausted."

Fen's eyes widened considerably, and he shot a small, meaningful glance over at Link. Out of nowhere, a debate seemed to be raging inside the man, evident by his changing expression. "Could... I'm terribly sorry, I know you must all be weary, but could I invite you into my personal tent for some tea or wine? There are a few more things I think would be... prudent for us to discuss."

"Well, sure, it's alright with me," Luca answered.

"Thank you again for your kindness," Davin added as they started following the Sheikah back into the small encampment; several others tailed behind them, all with hands on the hilts of their swords. Horses nickered and tossed their heads as they pushed past them. A different Sheikah came and took Epona's reins from Link, saying something to Fen in the language that to Link was familiar from hearing it occasionally fall off of Sheik's tongue, yet still rang so strange and exotic. Fen relayed to them that their horse would be well-cared for and returned to them whenever they wished it.

They were led a small distance into one of the many circular tents, all of them ducking down inside. There was a large blanket laid flat over the ground, and a few pillows tossed in random order. "I apologize," Fen murmured, sitting on top of one of the pillows, gesturing for them to do the same. "I'm afraid you'll not be very accustomed to the accommodations we have to offer."

"It's alright, thank you," Davin answered in his low, quite voice. "It's still incredibly generous of you."

"So, your names again?" Fen looked up, smiling that kind smile again. Link wondered idly to himself how many guards were posted outside the tent, just in case the 'Hylians' turned out to be less benign than they appeared.

"I'm Luca. This is Davin, and his little brother, Link."

Link looked up, a little surprised to hear his name being called. He'd been spacing out with the whirling of his thoughts to distract him. But now that he was with people who might be able to help him find Sheik, he didn't feel like beating around the bush anymore. He was so cracking _sick_ of waiting!

"You're Fen," Link stated, interrupting whatever was being said as he locked eyes with the older Sheikah.

The Sheikah's eyebrows crumpled together. "_Yata_... I mean yes, I am." His expression changed to one of pleasant surprise as a shot of recognition crossed his face. "'Tis funny you know, that only a few days ago I would not have known your significance out of a thousand other Hylians." Luca and Davin exchanged a look of confusion.

"What do you mean?" Link asked carefully, confused.

"Although, I must say that I did not realize who you were until your name was spoken to me just now, when I came to greet you. I didn't remember your face. I had no reason to." Fen stuck out his hand, offering it to Link. "It is pleasant to remake your acquaintance, Link: the Hylian boy who was on a journey with his family." He said it in a magical, lyrical voice; like he was telling a grand story to a group of small children.

Link shook the man's hand gingerly, not really sure of what to do, nor how to react. "Why did you say that _only a few days ago_ you wouldn't have known who I am?'" he questioned. "My family got lost in your desert nearly half a year ago." Despite his brashness before when addressing Fen for the first time, he was now circling around the subject. He wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation, nor how to press for the information he wanted. And he was suspicious of how Fen seemed to know about him, after all this time. Something was going on here that he didn't know about.

Fen didn't answer him. Instead, he turned to Davin and smiled warmly, extending his hand to him as well. "You are his brother, so you were there as well, am I right?"

"Well y-yes," Davin answered meekly. "But that was some time ago. You can't have remembered us."

Fen nodded, looking away at something. "I didn't."

"Have you seen the Hylians?" Link cut in, ever impatient. He didn't want to sit around waiting while the Sheikah man kept spewing out more cryptic words. Why would he be so mysterious unless he knew something they didn't? Fen turned to regard him with a raised eyebrow, something Link swore was a trademark mannerism of the Sheikah. Sheik did that as well, nearly every time he spoke.

"We met with the army and did battle. The Hylian leader called for a retreat after not very long." Fen pursed his lips, appearing to be waiting for Link's reaction to the news.

"Sheik," Link said lowly. "Did you see a Sheikah with them?"

"Sheik," Fen echoed quietly, his eyes shifting away.

Goddesses, the _frustration_ he felt! "The boy who _told me_ that you were a father to him! The one who was sent away to Castle Town?!"

Fen's eyebrows pulled together as he sat staring at Link. "It's a little strange," he said after several moments. "Seeing the person he's spoken so much about. He holds you in high regards."

"Does that mean you've seen him?" Link was walking the thin line between promised relief and brutal disappointment. What was that phrase? So close yet so far away.

A warm smile broke out on Fen's face, and his eyes softened. He looked almost... fatherly. "_Yata_, young one. He is here, and he has said much about you."

_He is here_. At that moment, Link had a brief flashback to the day Sheik was taken. That wheaten head of hair hanging lifeless, dangling over the back of one of the soldiers as he was hauled out of the inn, unconscious. But he was there, at the camp, two or three days outside of Castle Town. '_He is here_.' He was _there! _"Is... is he alright?" Link whispered, tears watering his eyes. He wiped them back indignantly, not wanting anyone to him cry.

A shadowed look came into the Sheikah's eye. "He is... far from all right. He is... not whole."

"Let me see him."

"He is sleeping."

"I don't care!" Link shot to his feet, hands balling into fists. "You can't _say_ that to me! If you knew half the heartache I've been through these past two weeks, you would have taken me directly _to_ him when you figured it out that I'm the one he's told you of! I don't know how much you know about me, and I certainly know nothing about you, but I need to _see_ him! I need to know that he's..." Link's voice broke. "That he's okay..."

Fen stared down at his lap for a long moment before standing as well, looking out towards the open tent-flap. "Torren-_líta, lune fara flo jar_?" Luca and Davin both looked surprised at the change in language, but it gave Link hope. Because this all still felt like one great big dream. He was terrified that any moment he would wake up and his hopes would be dashed. He couldn't take this empty feeling any longer... He'd die if he were to wake up and find that all of this had been some wild, erratic hope of his tired, sleeping mind.

A head of light brown hair pushed its way into the tent; and then a young boy, around Link's age was standing before them, looking directly at _him_. He must have been one of the ones outside guarding the tent.

"_Ös lëtallen nayarië clove_? _Link_?" The boy was obviously speaking to Fen, but his fiery eyes remained fixed on Link's.

"_Yata_," came Fen's reply.

"_Sheik's_ Link?" the boy asked again, this time looking over and up at Fen, his face all shades of disbelief. Link's heart soared with joy, because he sure as hell could understand those two words. Damn right he was Sheik's Link.

A sharp chuckle broke from the older Sheikah's mouth. "_Yata, líta. Flaug fara stë clove lo mal doz_?"

The boy blinked. "_Naj ös nahila_."

Fen rolled his eyes. "_Tön mëdok_. _Ga fara nayaria plia naj flaug nüm_?"

The boy sighed in response to whatever Fen said, but he smiled good-naturedly, looking back at Link. "Come," he gestured towards the tent entrance.

"Link, what—? What's going on?" Davin caught his arm before he could take a step after the Sheikah boy, worry evident in his demure emerald eyes.

"Sheik is here." Link swallowed, looking away at the blanketed ground. "They won't hurt me, and they won't hurt you. But he's alive, and he's _here_. And I'm going to him, Dav."

The corner of Davin's lips pulled up into a warm smile. "Right. Sorry."

"I'll see you soon," Link answered, turning and following the brunette Sheikah boy out of the tent.

There weren't very many Sheikah around. Most of them were off in their tents doing things, or away from the camp altogether. Link could see a large group of them training past the tents. The boy seemed to know his way around well enough.

"What's your name?" Link asked as he trailed behind him, their pace slow and easy.

"Torren," came his reply, as well as a devilish grin over the shoulder. Link was shocked by how much it looked like the face Sheik would make. "Sorry... I-I don't talk Hylian well." Goddesses, his accent was even thicker than Fen's. Link could scarcely understand him.

"That's alright," Link replied.

"Never... eh, talked it in 'tah desert much. Never learned well 'cause I… never left."

Link fell into step beside him. "Do you know Sheik very well?"

Torren gave him a funny look, his eyebrows knotting together. "I..." he started, mouth hanging open slightly as he shook his head. "Sorry, I—?"

"Oh, uh... You—," Torren nodded, indicating he understood. "—And Sheik..." He nodded again. "You are acquainted with him?"

Torren squinted his eyes slightly, biting his lip. "You ask... how Sheik is _haip_ _mala_, uh no… uh, my… friend?"

"Oh, so you're his friend," Link murmured thoughtfully. "Were you friends growing up?"

Torren nodded. "He was my friend more 'tan all the others. _Attí_ _fara_!" His face took on a wild, bright expression. "Sheik has said to us of you."

"Yes, Fen said that as well," Link agreed.

"'E's in sleep," Torren murmured, a bit quieter. "Sleeps a lot, now. Sometimes on horses, even while we ride."

A sliver of trepidation wormed its way into Link's mind. "Why does he need to sleep so much?" Sheik had always been an early riser. He'd often wake right with the dawn.

"Gettin' strong again. Slowly."

"Were the Hylians very cruel to him?" Link bit his lip.

Torren inclined his head, looking at him with grievous eyes. "_Yata_." He stopped suddenly, jerking his head towards the last tent on the makeshift path. "He is Sheikah. They do not care for Sheikah. To them, he is like nothing." Torren gestured to the tent again. "He is _nahila_. Inside."

Link bit his lip, stepping forward and pushing aside the flap of the tent, ducking inside to the fairly dark interior. It was surprisingly warm inside, and Link could barely see. He felt more than saw Torren enter quietly behind him.

"Low, there, see?" he whispered, pointing to the far wall of the tent, where a large lump of blankets lay on the ground. Link caught his breath. "I'll go to get you bot' some food, yeah? Mus' be 'ungry." The boy ducked back out of the tent, and then it was silent.

Mostly silent. There was a faint nose coming from the swaddling of blankets on the ground. A quiet breath of air, pulled in and then released again. And again, and again. And now he knew. He knew Sheik wasn't dead. He wasn't dead. Oh holy goddesses above, he wasn't dead! Not dead. Not dead: alive! Alive and breathing, and right before him.

Link started breathing again, adding the sound of air rushing into his lungs to the steady stream of Sheik's sleepy sounds. For a moment he was afraid that the gasp would wake the sleeping Sheikah, but his love remained comatose; sleeping soundly in his warm nest of blankets, curled up, safe and sound.

Link gingerly stepped over to the sleeping form, lowering himself beside it, folding his legs. He leaned forward, gently pulling away the blankets from his face, tears falling freely from his eyes. Link slapped a hand to his mouth to keep in the noisy sob that tried to escape from deep within his throat. He looked so beautiful and peaceful, sleeping there; not a scar marring his face. Link didn't want to wake him; he didn't see any point, and Sheik looked like he could use this rest. This time, they would both be their when he woke up. Together.

Being as gentle as he could, Link lay down beside him, snuggling against the cozy nest of blankets, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath, inhaling the warm, familiar scent.

He'd found him. Clearly, things wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

**Translations:**

**Note: Because this section was in the POV of a Hylian: Link; naturally he'd be hearing Sheikahn as it's actually spoken, so I put down here everything they were saying, just in case you all were curious. I apologize if the actual Sheikahn words in the text above interrupt the flow of the story for any of you, but in all honesty, I'd rather write out a neat-o foreign language than just put something like 'they spoke a strange language, one that he couldn't make any sense of' or something like that. Personally, I think it's more fun this way!**

Fen stared down at his lap for a long moment before standing as well, looking out towards the open tent-flap. "Torren-_líta, are you out there_?" Luca and Davin both looked surprised at the change in language, but it gave Link hope. Because this all still felt like one great big dream. He was terrified that any moment he would wake up and his hopes would be dashed. He couldn't take this empty feeling any longer... He'd die if he were to wake up and find that all of this had been some wild, erratic hope of his tired, sleeping mind.

A head of light brown hair pushed its way into the tent; and then a young boy, around Link's age was standing before them, looking directly at _him_. He must have been one of the ones outside guarding the tent.

"_Is this really him_? _Link_?" The boy was obviously speaking to Fen, but his fiery eyes remained fixed on Link's.

"_Yes_," came Fen's reply.

"_Sheik's_ Link?" the boy asked again, this time looking over and up at Fen, his face all shades of disbelief. Link's heart soared with joy, because he sure as hell could understand those two words. Damn right he was Sheik's Link.

A sharp chuckle broke from the older Sheikah's mouth. "_Yes, líta. Will you take him to his tent_?"

The boy blinked. "_He is sleeping_."

Fen rolled his eyes. "_I know. Do you really think that he will care_?"

**The few words Torren used while talking to Link:**

'_haip mala' = 'my friend'_

'_attí fara!' = 'and you!'_

'_yata' = 'yes'_

'_nahil' = 'sleep' add an 'a' to the end, and it becomes 'sleeping,' or 'nahila.'_

* * *

**As per the current usual, I'll try my best to have the next chapter up by Wednesday. I'll admit now that it's going to be almost completely just Sheik and Link talking to one another and others around the camp. They'll talk out a few things, and well... just fluff, for the most part. **


	33. Love Doesn't Just Stop

**I apologize that this chapter came later than I'd promised. I've been incredibly busy lately.**

**********Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**********The Sheikah**

* * *

**********Chapter Thirty-Three: Love Doesn't Just Stop**

Torren came by again a long time later, explaining in half-hearted, broken Hylian that they were rationing the food too closely for him to get them any, seeing as how everyone had already eaten dinner. He promised that it wouldn't be long until breakfast, smiled softly, and excused himself.

Link wasn't hungry, and even if he was, he could find his brother and eat from their own small food supply if they hadn't already eaten what was left. But he didn't want to leave Sheik; he was quite content dosing in and out of a light sleep, snuggled up against him through the blankets as he waited for him to wake up.

Sheik kept whimpering. Not sure whether it was pain or nightmares, Link sat up and stroked his sandy hair through it, smiling when the pained, frightened noises would cease and those eyelids would flutter, eyelashes kissing the tops of his cheeks.

"Look at you," he murmured, cocking his head gently to the side. "I was so afraid you'd turn up dead. You don't know how hard it got to keep telling myself otherwise." Sheik's lips twitched up. "And you're not hurt. We can go wherever you want, you know. If you still want to fight with your people, I'll stay by your side. I can't fight, but I can... I don't know, but I'll be here. I'm never leaving you. And I'm never letting you out of my sight again. Stupid headstrong Sheikah. You think you can take on the world." Link sighed, resting his chin in both his hands. "I'm not sure the world's ready for us just yet, Sheik."

Link snorted, rolling his eyes. "Goddesses, do you remember the first few times we had to lie, when we kept telling everyone your name was Jasten? As if." His nose wrinkled up as he thought of other times in their past, and also about how he sort of missed Jas and his quirky little wife. "I remember when your eyes were green. You know, I was reading once that the reason the Sheikah's eyes are red is because at the time of creation, the goddesses poured fire into their veins. It makes sense; you're all the fiercest bunch I've ever met."

"And you," Link continued, rambling away. "You're possessive. I'll never admit it to you or anyone, but I do like it when you're bossy. I know I should find it annoying, but I see it as more... endearing. I've never met anyone quite so bossy as you. I'd be surprised if there's anyone in Hyrule with enough wit to put you in your place. Whenever I manage to, it's out of sheer luck."

Link sighed, laying back down, his eyelids feeling heavy. He buried his nose deep within the blankets surrounding Sheik, enjoying the warmth radiating from his body. Carefully, he draped one arm over the bulk of the swaddled Sheikah, squeezing only very gently as he shut his eyes.

Oh, goddesses, when morning came, it would be—

The lump of blankets in front of him shifted, curling away from his body. And it was then that a faint, groggy voice spoke into the silence, its owner still half asleep. "_Tor, chast fara dun fúan_?!"

Link bit his lip for a swift moment, holding in a giddy snicker. "What does that even mean, Sheik?" he asked quietly, biting harder to rein in his ridiculous grin.

He heard the great bundle sigh as it withdrew more and more from the fog of sleep and into wakefulness. Link sat up, backing away a bit as Sheik started to move, sitting up himself. "_Ite hanil owen alvilo ne tön flaug—." _Sheik stopped right in the middle of whatever he was saying, sitting fully upright; though he was facing the wall of the tent, away from Link. "Torren doesn't speak Hylian. Not that well." His shoulders tensed, and then he turned slightly, so that Link could see him in profile.

"Honestly, Sheik," Link said around a meek smile. "I couldn't understand a word of what you just said. Sand devil nonsense, all of it."

And then the Sheikah turned the rest of the way around, his eyes immediately searching Link's. Link's lips stretched up into a wide, hysterical grin. He couldn't have pulled a frown at that moment, even if he'd wanted to.

"_Nalí_?" Goddesses, his voice sounded so scared and uncertain. He must have felt exactly as Link had before: hoping—nay—_praying_ that this wasn't a dream.

"Hello," Link answered quietly.

The blankets fell down from around Sheik's body, but he reached out and snatched them back up with his right arm before they could so much as fall to his lap. He pulled them up to his chin, peeking out at Link with round, _beautiful_ eyes. He didn't speak; didn't say so much as a single word.

His wide grin faded back into the sheepish little smile as Link floundered inside his head for something to say. "I—I found you."

Sheik blinked. "I... Yes, you did. Hello."

Link snorted, frowning. "Why are we being so formal?" He got onto his knees, leaning forward and wrapping his arms snugly around Sheik's neck. "It's a bit like... 'Oh, hello. Where have you been, have you been on holiday? Was it quite enjoyable? So happy you're back now.'" Link mimicked a high-pitched mockery of a courtier's voice as best as he could, laughing shakily as he did it.

It took him a moment, but slowly he felt Sheik's right arm wrap around him, squeezing as he nuzzled his face into the crook between Link's neck and shoulder. Sheik breathed in deeply, exhaling warm breath against Link's skin. Link turned his head and kissed his hair, letting his nose rest in the wheaten tresses. Right then, at that moment, Link was the most content he'd ever been in his entire life. He wanted for nothing in the world; it was all right there in front of him. Sheik: whole, safe, and sound.

Sheik shifted, listing forward and dropping his head onto Link's shoulder. As he breathed in, Link could hear a faint sniffle. He was crying.

"Hey now," Link cooed, combing lightly through his hair with gentle fingers. "Dry up those tears. We've a lot to talk about." Sheik's body gave out a great shudder as he pulled his head back up, withdrawing his right arm from around Link in order to wipe at his eyes and then clutch back at the blanket. Link gazed at him with a loving fondness. He could just look for hours to reassure himself that Sheik was alive. "Your face looks so thin—"

Sheik interrupted him by shoving his lips against Link's; biting gently around his pliant, open, and unsuspecting mouth.

"Mmmf..." Link grunted in surprise as Sheik pushed him back just as suddenly as he'd kissed him, tearing his lips away, nipping a bit too hard in the takeaway.

"Ow!" Link hissed, a hand shooting to his now-swelling lip, testing it with a light touch.

"I'm sorry," Sheik said shakily, eyes wide and head down like a cornered wolf. "I'm sorry."

Link laughed lightly. "Sheik, you're allowed to kiss me, you know. Just remember not to bight my lip off when you pull away. Ouch. If you take that off, I won't have anything to kiss you with, prat."

"Link," Sheik murmured. "I am sorry. You have no idea how beyond sorry I am. About everything."

"Oh no, I think I have a fair idea." Link frowned. "It's okay. You know, I don't think I'll ever be happy with you for... well, for lying to me. And... killing her; that really was the wrong thing to do, but I forgive you. It doesn't stop me from wanting to be with you. I love you, and love doesn't just stop. Not for that."

"One of the soldiers saw me in the small village that I found the woman in. They followed me back to Clock Town. Have you seen Kafei?" Sheik locked eyes with him.

"Yeah, we saw him soon after we left. He was alright, and he told me what you said. I'm afraid I was a little short with him. I was angry that what you'd wanted him to tell me just sounded like some stupid, noble goodbye. He told me you got shot."

"It was a goodbye," Sheik muttered. "I didn't expect to survive as I did. Who did you travel with?"

"Dav and Luca," Link answered, thinking it odd that Sheik hadn't said more about him being shot. "They'll probably want to see you in the morning, you know."

"About Kafei..." Sheik looked away uncomfortably. "The night I helped him escape... something terrible happened."

Link let out a shaky, nervous laugh. "I know, he told us. And at least you're not dead!"

Sheik's lips turned up into a small smile, but he still looked sad. "No, I am not dead. Although they certainly intended to kill me. They were marching me to Castle Town for a public execution. I think it was their intention to set an example to all the other rebelling Sheikah with me. Kill me, and it spooks the rest back into submission; something like that."

"But Fen's army rescued you!" Link said enthusiastically, trying to lighten up the mood. He couldn't help but selfishly feel that their reunion should be a bit more cheerful.

"This is but a small group of the Sheikah army," Sheik answered with a straight face, gazing off into space. "There are many more, around seven-hundred. There are only ninety-three with us here, excluding myself."

"Are you alright?" Link asked, uncertain of himself. "You don't seem all that happy to see me."

Sheik hung his head, gripping the blanket tighter to his chest. "No... I am." His shoulders shook. "I really, really am, _lalu."_

_ "Sheik! _What in the world is going on? This is a happy, good thing! Why do you keep crying? I understand tears of happiness, but I don't think those are generally so persistent!"

"Ilusmurm." Sheik mumbled past the blanket.

Link leaned forward, not sure what he'd even said. "What?"

"I lost my arm!" Sheik shouted, his face coming up all red and cross and tear-stained. He bit his lower lip, his ruby eyes feral and frightened.

Link blinked a couple times as he registered what exactly Sheik had said. "You—you did?" he stammered. It was like they were strangers, and he didn't know what to say. Hell, he'd said more back when they _were_ strangers.

Sheik's eyes narrowed as he nodded. "I lost. My. Arm," he growled lowly.

And then it hit him like a blow. "_How_?!" Link got onto his knees, leaning in and taking the blanket from around Sheik's narrow shoulders. Sheik let it slide off without any trouble, keeping perfect eye-contact with Link. He was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with lacings up the front that were partway undone. He looked normal, actually; though far too thin. Both sleeves hung off his thin frame normally, although as Link's eyes travelled downwards, one of them ended in a hand, and the other lay flat and deflated by Sheik's side. "Oh goddesses, Sheik," Link whispered, walking closer on his knees so that they were all pressed together, front to front. He put his hands carefully back around his neck, too afraid to touch anything else. How could this have happened to someone as good and well-meaning as Sheik?

"The healer who looks over me has been giving me so much medicine that it doesn't pain me much. Although I feel useless."

"You—oh Farore, your—"

"The night Kafei and I tried for an escape," he began, voice all low and miserable. "After they shot me they used a tourniquet, and kept it on too long and too tight, and refused me medicine or any type of care, and with the cold and dirt of the road, infection set it, and Marlin said I got blood poisoning, and she mentioned gangrene, and—"

Link pulled back. "Slow down, love. Just slow down, you're saying it all too fast."

"I shouldn't have lied to you, Link," he whimpered miserably. "I've had dreams. Where you've been too angry or disgusted with me to even speak, and I... That's the kind of world I've been living in since they took me. I've been so afraid that the last time the two of us would ever see each other would be on horrible terms like how I left things."

"Sheik—"

"I've been tearing my hair out worrying about how you would receive me the next time we met. I wasn't sure whether you'd want anything to do with me. I didn't know whether you'd just... accepted it and moved on. And even if you _had_ forgiven me, how could you ever want me again when I'm like _this_?!"

Link sat back on his knees, taking and holding Sheik's... his hand, tightly within his own. "Are you daft? Sheik, I will _always_ be here for you, now most of all. You're not going through this without me unless you _verbally_ order me away."

"Unless I verbally—" Sheik repeated, shaking his head. "I can't believe how stupid I've been. How foolishly young, and brash, and _thick _my behavior's been. It's just... seeing what happened there in Termina... The Hylian's crass disposition towards this atrocity that they committed... I felt like if I didn't act in some way, I would be just as bad as them."

"I know Sheik. I completely know. They were wrong, but violence doesn't end violence. It only extends it. I don't think you can fight them for it anymore, not like... not like this."

Sheik shrugged his shoulders half-heartedly, taking his hand back and wiping at his nose. "Then I am useless. I can't help, not in the state I'm in, like you said. What do I do now, just sit around on the sidelines and watch whilst my friends and family give up their lives? This is _war_, and I am a Sheikah. It is my instinct to fight. I'm useless," he repeated.

Link held out his hand out, gently rubbing Sheik's right shoulder as he thought to himself, trying to piece together something to say to comfort him. "We don't know what you can and can't do yet. Don't you give up on yourself like that. I don't want you to feel useless, because you're _not_. It's a terrible thing that happened to you. It's a terrible time we're living in. I'm sorry for the way things are, but we can take steps to make it better. _You_ can as well, just not in the most obvious way. Why did you split off from the other Sheikah, anyways?"

"We hope to make a pact with the King of Termina," Sheik muttered, still glowering down at his lap. "If we have the Terminans backing us, it's hoped that we will win our freedom without needing to fight any more than we have. The King of Hyrule might be able to think he can beat us back into submission, but with another country at our backs, he may submit for fear of a war with more than just the Sheikah."

"What if the King of Termina doesn't sympathize with the Sheikah?"

"Then I suppose they will have to fight."

Link would never, ever admit this out loud, but for as angry and saddened, and... upset he was at the loss of Sheik's arm, he was secretly relieved that Sheik wouldn't be caught up in the melee. "I'm just happy you're safe, Sheik. I can't bear to lose another loved one, you most of all."

Sheik let out a deep sigh. "Well, I'm not lost, _nalí_. I'm just... I'm broken is all."

"I can try to fix you, love."

* * *

"What in the bloody name of all time is this?" Thellon looked down on the small letter his manservant had handed him with a deeply furrowed brow.

"A letter for you, my lord. From Hyrule."

"Yes, well I can see that, _thank you_. I do have two eyes you know, Fredrick. I _mean_ what is it doing in my hand? Things like this are supposed to go to my _father's_ advisors. They deal with all the official, castle business."

"My lord, it is _addressed_ to you."

Thellon narrowed his eyes, flipping over the letter and reading his own name there on the back, printed in flowing, prim handwriting. "But Frederick, this has never happened before."

"My lord, what does it say?" Frederick pressed. It was clear to Thellon that his manservant was becoming exasperated, and doing a piss poor job of hiding it as well.

Thellon sighed, breaking the crimson seal on the back of the envelope and pulling out the parchment. His eyes immediately flitted down to the signature at the bottom of the page. Princess Zelda... Of Hyrule.

"Bloody hell," Thellon whispered as his eyes scanned over the letter.

_ Prince Thellon of Termina_, it started.

The Princess was expressing concern over the rebelling Sheikah in Hyrule, conveying her anger at what had happened to the Sheikah camped on Terminan land. She was asking him for help, to appeal to his father and try to rally him to her cause... Whatever that may be.

"She's asking for our help." Thellon summarized, moving away from Frederick, who had been trying to read over the prince's shoulder.

Frederick raised an eyebrow. "The Princess, and not the King contacts us?"

"She's contacting us against the will of her father. She shows concern for the... for the Sheikah."

"Hyrule's fighting guard dogs?" Frederick nearly spat. "King Nohansen has been holding their threat over our heads for many years."

"No he hasn't. Hyrule and Termina are peaceful."

"Aye, because your father fears the Sheikah, whom King Nohansen of Hyrule has in his little arsenal. The fight mean, my lord; and they fight to win."

Thellon raised his eyebrows. "It is not an open threat, surely? My father would have responded to such a thing."

Frederic sighed, crossing his arms. "Not an open threat, no. It is fear of your father's. And a very just fear, mind you."

"Does he think the Hylians covet our land, or something of the sort?"

"Of the sort," Frederick agreed. "It's all a very complicated mess. Full of half-truths and whispers and the potential for knives in the back."

Thellon glanced back at the letter. "But if the Sheikah are rebelling, like Zelda says, surely we'll want them as our allies? That would heal this whole mess!"

"Aye, as if that'd ever happen," Frederick grumbled. "If the desert folk are rebelling against their masters, it'll be for freedom. Do you honestly think they'll come running to your father just to be collared again?"

"I didn't say we'd be their masters," Thellon snapped. "I said we'd be their allies. I should take this letter to Father. The Hylians _did_ invade our land after all, armed and with the intent to kill, even if it wasn't Terminans they were hunting. Surely that is an act of war in and of itself?"

Frederick inclined his head, but did not say anything.

"And," Thellon continued. "With the Sheikah on our side, it will be the Hylians walking on eggshells! Surely that will make father happy. I have got to tell him. Perhaps we can make a treaty with these Sheikah."

* * *

"Sheik, it's time for breakfast. Are you ready to get up?"

The Sheikah's eyes flickered open, revealing his crimson irises. They were lying together, face to face with arms and legs gently entwined together. "I've been awake, actually. I've been thinking."

Link sat up, rubbing at his eyes. He, apparently _unlike_ Sheik, _had_ been getting some much-needed sleep. And now his stomach was rumbling. "Are you hungry? I'm famished."

"Yes, I believe it's about time we enter into the camp. Face the music, as I've heard it said."

"Well, let's go then. Do you need help?"

"Of course I don't need help!" Sheik snapped, swatting Link's hands away. "I can manage on my own, thanks."

"You're welcome, prat," Link snapped back as he stood.

Sheik got onto his feet without much trouble, where he started fussing with the sleeve of his shirt. "You've got to stop calling me that. I don't know where it's come from, but it's _highly_ disrespectful."

"Bite me, Sheikah."

Sheik looked up from his empty sleeve to grin wickedly at Link. It was wonderful, because with _that_ expression, he really did look like himself. "Is that an invitation?"

Link smirked back. "Not before breakfast, it isn't. We'll see later, I'm sure."

Could you hand me the cloak, just there?" Sheik asked, still grinning.

When Link handed him the heavy traveling garb, he was surprised to see that Sheik had folded up and pinned the loose part of his sleeve, all one-handed.

"You're functioning quite wall already!" Link exclaimed.

"I pinned up my shirt, Link." Sheik looked at him in a deadpan. "It's not like I'm about to pick up a sword or bow again. Besides, I practiced doing that for almost three hours the other day." A small smile broke across his lips once again. "I stabbed myself in the thumb about fifteen times."

Link walked forward, fastening the ties at the throat of Sheik's cloak for him, kissing him chastely on the lips when he frowned at Link's unrequested help. "Breakfast?" he asked with a sleepy, self-assured smile.

"Yes," Sheik smiled, offering Link his hand. He was really trying very hard, Link observed silently, to be positive. He supposed that part of it might have to do with the fact that everything was out in the open now. Everything. There was not a secret nor bad feeling between the two of them.

However, when they pushed back the flap of the tent, they were both shocked into silence.

"Snow?!" Link exclaimed, looking all around the camp at the thick blanket of white. There was at least three or four inches of it covering every flat surface; the ground and all the tents.

"Oh good goddesses," Sheik grumbled. "We're going to have to clear this mess off all the tents before we can move on!"

"Oh, come on!" Link laughed loudly, hurrying forward into it. "This is marvelous! I haven't seen snow since I was around seven! Oh, wow! Look how everything's so _white_!"

"Calm down, you sporadic little thing," Sheik called as Link rushed forward, running through the drifts and then looking back at the footprints he'd made, laughing like a maniac. "It's just partially frozen water, you know."

Link rolled his eyes, walking back to Sheik and taking his hand again. "You're such a grump. Where do they give you breakfast around here, anyways?"

Sheik gestured with a nod to somewhere ahead in the white. "At the supply tent. It's most likely just cold porridge."

Link shrugged, putting on his best smile anyways. "Fine by me. I'm so hungry I could probably just plop down right here and start eating snow."

"No, don't do that," Sheik murmured as they walked. "The others will think you're mad, and then I'll have to explain your many mental handicaps to Fen."

Link rolled his eyes, leaning in and pecking him on the cheek with a short laugh. Sheik glanced over at him, brow raised but mouth pulled up into a small, modest smile. "I don't care if you're the snarkiest ass I've ever met, Sheik. I still like you."

"Boys!"

Both Sheik and Link turned to see Fen strutting towards them, Sheik's friend Torren and some other man in tow, whom Link assumed was Torren's father, because their hair was both the same unusual-for-a-Sheikah shade of brown.

"Fen-_näba_," Sheik called back, squeezing Link's hand. "I trust you've met Link?"

Fen smiled, nodding as he folded his arms over his chest. "Quite a spirited lad, that one is."

Link blushed at the praise, and he felt Sheik's hand squeeze him tighter. The boy, Torren, shouldered past Fen with a smirk, coming to stand beside Link. "I like him. More pleasant than Sheik, no doubt. _Naj tife sion_."

Link glanced up at Sheik for explanation as the older boy rolled his eyes. "Thank you ever so much for your glowing appraisal, Torren_-líta_."

Torren visibly bristled. "I told you... You can not... er, call that of me!"

Sheik barked out a sharp laugh. "Switch back to Sheikahn, Torren, before you hurt yourself."

Link smacked his chest. "Goddesses, Sheik! Be nicer!"

"Oh, come on, I've known him for years. I'm allowed to be verbally abusive!"

"At least I'm speaking little amounts of that... stupid, hard... tongue! Most Sheikah do not talk any!"

"You're using the wrong verbs, idiot," Sheik snickered.

"You is lucky we are _malas_," Torren snapped, glowering at Sheik.

Ignoring them, Link looked back over at Fen. "Have you seen my brother and his... uh..."

"Lover?" Fen sprouted a wicked grin. "_Yata_. They are in line for breakfast hand-outs."

Sheik and Link left the three other Sheikah to set out in search of Link's family and breakfast. As they neared the breakfast line—which was dwindling down to just a few dozen waiting to be fed, it wasn't hard to spot the curly head of dark hair that rose above all the straight sandy blondes.

"Luca!" Link called, pulling on Sheik's arm impatiently in his excitement. Both Luca and Link's brother turned around to the sound of the call, and large grins broke out onto either of their faces when they saw who he was with.

As Link and Sheik came to stand in front of them, Link caught a few quiet words being exchanged between the two men. "...guess your optimism was well-placed, Luca," Davin whispered before nodding to them both.

"We'll, _hello_, boys," Luca drawled, a big, stupid grin on his face. "Aren't the two of you just bright and shining this morning?"

"No," Sheik answered evenly. "That would be the snow."

Both Davin and Link snickered, and even Luca spread his hands and chuckled good-naturedly at the jibe. "But really," Luca continued—never, ever the one to know when to shut up. "It's great to see you, kid. You little outlaw!" Sheik frowned at this, obviously irritated by what to Luca was just his way of showing affection: teasing you into a rage. "All nice and healthy, and safe!"

"Hello, Sheik," Davin put in. "It's great to know you're all right."

"I am, apart from the injury I suffered," Sheik answered, and Link's eyes widened in surprise. Sheik was getting right down to business, so to speak. He was going to tell them right out.

Davin and Luca both raised their eyebrows. "Injury?" Davin asked in a quiet, reserved voice.

"My arm had to be removed because of complications caused by the Hylians," Sheik stated matter-of-factly, as if he were calling out the grocery list. He detached his hand from Link's and used it to pull back his heavy traveling cloak, revealing the arm; or lack thereof. Link looked too. He was already a knowing party, but it still sent a shock through him, seeing the pinned up fabric of his sleeve around the stump that should still be an arm.

Luca whistled lowly. "Damn, well isn't that a battle wound to speak of?" He laughed nervously. "You'll have... er, great stories to tell!"

Link watched as Sheik blinked, his face completely devoid of any discernible emotion. "Luca... I-I understand that it is in your nature to make light of a situation in order to diffuse the tension, but in this case, you are wrong. This was no battle wound. I was shot while my back was turned, and refused medicine so that it festered."

"Sheik, I'm sorry," Luca frowned.

"Do not be sorry," Sheik murmured, looking straight at him. "It is alright."

Luca's mouth turned up into a half-smile. "Right, well. Prepare yourself, because I'm going to hug you now."

Link chuckled, stepping away from Sheik and passing Luca as he switched sides and came to stand beside his brother in order to watch. Davin surprised him by linking his arm with his, chuckling quietly. Luca had already gotten his arms around Sheik's shoulders, and the young Sheikah had been entirely pulled into his chest. It was very sweet, actually, because his lids were closed over his crimson eyes and his face was pinched, as if he were fighting some stronger emotion from escaping.

Link leaned his head on Davin's shoulder as they both watched while Luca and Sheik parted. Luca laughed, mock-punching Sheik's right arm; and even Sheik managed a small smile. "You know, Sheik," Luca started, biting down on his lip to keep in what no doubt was a huge, cocky grin. "I'd give you one of my arms, but you see... I'm rather... well, attached to them."

"Luca!" Davin called crossly, but when Link glanced over at his big brother, he too was smiling.

"What?" Luca asked innocently, slinging an arm gently over Sheik's narrow shoulders.

"You can't just go around saying things like that!" Davin exclaimed, walking over and smacking his arm. "I honestly cannot believe you sometimes."

"Hey, that was _hilarious_! Sheik thought so too, didn't you Sheik?"

"It was... an interesting attempt at humor, Luca," Sheik murmured quietly, ducking out from under Luca's arm and walking back over to Link, holding out his hand for Link's.

"See?!" Luca practically shouted.

Davin rolled his eyes. "He was just humoring you, you idiot. He's too polite to tell you how ill-mannered that joke actually was! He's never going to let you near him again!"

Link snickered, leaning his head over on Sheik's shoulder as he watched his brother argue with the man he loved. Davin usually wasn't so... verbal, and it was all quite humorous.

Link turned his head slightly, craning his neck to reach up and kiss Sheik's jaw softly. "I'm glad you're safe," he whispered, turning back to watch the spectacle.

* * *

**Translations:**

**When Sheik was first waking up:**

"_Tor, chast fara dun fúan_?!" = "_Tor, will you get off_?!"

"_Ite hanil owen alvilo ne tön flaug—." _="_It means go away or I will—." _

**When Torren was talking about Link:**

'_Naj tife sion_.' = '_He can stay_.'

And of course, '_yata'_ means yes, and '_malas'_ means friends.

**As always, thanks for your continued reading, guys! I have a couple things to say. First, my estimation for the length of this fic rests at about forty chapters. It could be a few longer, or a few shorter, depending on the length I make them. **

**Secondly, I won't be updating for a couple weeks because my big sister is getting married in a week and a half, and I imagine I'll be really busy helping her get everything finished up in time, which means I probably won't have time for writing. I just wanted to explain why I'm abandoning you all for a few weeks. Sorry, loves! And as always, thank you!**


	34. Negotiations

**Hey, guys! I'm back! I must have missed writing or something, because this chapter practically wrote itself. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Negotiations**

The army had to take down the few Hylians guards who were stationed at the Hylian/Terminan border. No one wanted to do it, but they needed to get into Termina without any scouts or messengers getting away from them to tell Hyrule of all their plans, and there was no way any Hylian would let them through without a fight. So they fought, and it all ended very quickly. Luckily, when they actually got onto the other side of the border and were stopped by a Terminan soldier—there were significantly more Terminan soldiers about since the Hylian invasion—all they did was demand to escort them to the palace, which was more than alright with everyone in the small battalion. Termina City, where the castle in which the King of Termina resided was a little less than a week's journey into the land, so all the Sheikah were actually relieved at the semi-welcoming treatment they'd received. It was almost as if the Terminans had known that they were coming far ahead of time.

Now they were on their fifth day of riding inside the foreign country; flanked by a couple dozen Terminan soldiers, and only about a day's time away from speaking with the King. Fen, being the one in charge of the contingent, would do all the talking. Thank the goddesses he spoke fluent enough Hylian. If Torren was the one who had to negotiate, the Terminans probably wouldn't even take them seriously.

But now that things had been relatively quiet for a few days, everything was going a little bit better than expected. Link was being very understanding of Sheik's renewed temper and irritability, which had gotten worse than it used to be. Sheik felt horrid about it all, because he knew that sometimes he let his frustration with his state and situation get to him, and then he would lash out at whoever was closest... which was almost always the ever-faithful Link. Sheik had even brought the boy to tears at one point, a day or two before they'd crossed into Termina. Sheik had apologized a thousand times the night that had happened, but Link had still slept a few feet away from him after the shouting ended, and did so the next night before warming up to Sheik again.

They'd tried fooling around as well, despite the lack of privacy and the cold. They did their best to be quiet, which was a little easier when not in a creaky motel room surrounded by Link's family, but the... mechanics were all thrown off now. But they hadn't had actual sex again, and surprisingly, Sheik found himself grateful for it. Link was a giving lover in every aspect, and there were plenty of ways for both of them to end up squirming in each other's arms, fighting for breath and control of their body without the actual act of penetration. The first time they'd been together intimately since reuniting, Sheik had been scared to death. He knew Link's body well, but his own was completely different now, and he was ashamed of it. He couldn't do anything right, and that first time, they'd spent more time talking through it than actually doing anything. Sheik was infinitely grateful for Link's patience.

"What are you thinking about, you great big brooder?" Link asked quietly from Epona's back. "I don't want to leave you alone with your thoughts too long, or you'll get down on yourself."

"Just... Everything, as usual."

"You know this will all be over soon."

Sheik glanced up at Link to find him smiling softly at nothing, gazing ahead into the growing dusk of the day. "You look like you're thinking about something yourself," he responded, listing forward a bit when the horse momentarily lost its footing in a rut.

"I am," Link answered. "I'm dreaming about the day when all of this is over. I hate that our love was born into a war. We haven't had any time to ourselves."

Sheik blinked, thinking back over the course of their tumultuous relationship. Traveling together without letting on that Sheik wanted nothing more than to snog Link senseless. He just hoped his newfound irritability wouldn't tear them apart.

"We've had... four months? A little more than four months to be together. That's more than anyone can ask for in a time of war. And Link, if anything happens to either of us, I want you to—."

"Nope," Link interrupted, shaking his head violently. "I'm not even going to let you finish that thought. Enough has happened to both of us during this blasted war to last us the rest of our lives."

"However long that may be," Sheik hinted, wanting to finish what he'd been about to say, just in case.

"Stop," Link said, a little more forceful than normal. "You need to stop doing that. We're both fine. We will both survive this. I can't even think that we won't."

"Link is right, Sheik!" Torren called from behind them. "You shut your mouth!"

"Well, I wouldn't have worded it that way, but yes," Link agreed. "Torren's right. Just stop. I love you, but no more."

"If you don't want to hear what I have to say, maybe you should go ride next to your brother. That way I won't bother you!" Sheik hissed angrily, glaring at Link.

Link's face broke down into a ball of hurt. "If I'm bothering you, Sheik, I'll go."

Sheik looked away. "Well it's not as if I need babysat. I'm fully capable of managing on my own, you know. You don't need to hover beside me every second, thinking I might need your help for every little thing."

"Right, sorry then," Link said shortly before pulling ahead, apologizing to people he passed as he hurried Epona up towards the front were his brother was.

"Sheik, you really ought to be nicer to him," Torren said in Sheikahn, riding up next to him. "He's trying very hard to be understanding of you. You keep snapping at him for no good reason. It's going to drive him away."

"He's fine," Sheik growled, angry at Tor for butting into _his_ business.

"No, he isn't Sheik," Torren replied calmly. "You're being very cruel to him. He came to find you, you know, when he had no real reason to believe you were even alive. I know that you are hurting, and I know that things are much harder for you now, but do not take out your aggressions on the person who is there for you the most. I am honestly shocked _and_ humbled by his patience with you; but no matter how much he loves you, Sheik, you can't both go on like this forever. He'll get to hurt, and you'll get even bitterer than you already are."

"What do you know?" Sheik muttered, still feeling defensive.

"I know because I have spoken to him some, when you've gone to bed early. Do you want to know what he said?"

Sheik swallowed heavily. "Of course."

Torren sniffed softly, as if something was amusing him. "We were teasing one another. I asked him what in the goddesses' names he could like about you so much. And do you know what he said back?"

"What?" Sheik said in a near whisper.

"He said 'He's... beautiful. And he's caring, and he puts others before himself whenever he realizes that it's the right thing to do. He's overcome so much. It's hard not to love that.'"

The corners of Sheik's mouth turned down into a miserable frown as Torren quoted his _nali_. He really had been awful to Link, hadn't he? It was... hard not to lash out with his frustrations. He was... goddesses, what had he done? "I'm having a hard time, Tor," he mumbled, staring at his mount's neck. "I'm having a hard time trying not to feel... inferior, or _less_. I can't help with anything anymore; not the packing up, not the fighting, nor the care of the horses. And what does that make me? A great useless thing that's become the burden of all of you. I'm an amputee... And I don't know if I'll ever be whole again."

"Hmm," Torren breathed thoughtfully. "I don't know about that, Sheik-_mala_. All I know is that I love you, and you're my best friend _still_, to this day. And I think it's important to remember that it doesn't matter what you are, armless or legless or whatever. It only matters what you do. And right now, you're being cruel to the boy who I believe loves you with his whole heart. And I'm not trying to butt into your business, but you need to be kinder, and try your hand at being just as understanding of yourself as he is."

Sheik shook his head, feeling a royal fool. "When did you get so wise, Tor?"

"Sheik, you great big idiot. You're sharp as a nail, but you can really be quite thick sometimes."

Sheik looked over at Tor fondly, remembering in that moment all the mischief they'd gotten themselves into as children. "I couldn't ask for a better friend."

"And if you did, they wouldn't give you one," Torren replied smugly. "Because I'm the best of the best."

Sheik forced a humble smile onto his face. "I don't like admitting it, but yes, you are. I'll go to him and ask for forgiveness when we stop for the night. That will give us both time to calm down." Sheik looked over at Tor again.

Torren was giving him the oddest of looks. "Sheik..." he began.

"Whatever is the matter now, Torren?" Sheik asked heavily, rolling his eyes. Thanks to Tor, he was back into a good mood again, with a positive outlook on things for the first time in a long time. The least he could do was listen to whatever other ridiculous thing his friend had to say.

"My father told me once that people come into our lives for a reason."

"Oh?" Sheik pressed, his curiosity piqued. Tor may be a foolhardy youth, but the knowledge and wisdom he'd gained from his father was tried and true. Gilan was as sharp as a whip.

"Yes, and they come to bring us lessons that we must learn. People come into our lives to help us to grow, just as we ourselves help them. That's why we have friends."

Sheik frowned. "Tor, if you're talking about yourself... I mean, I agree that you're a good friend, but now you're getting to be a bit conceded..."

"No, not me you prat. Link. Think about all he's taught you; how much you have changed each other, and maybe that'll help you to realize just how much someone like him is worth." He let Sheik stew over those words for roughly a minute before speaking again. "I'm going to go and talk to him now; try to convince him you're really not that much of an ass."

Sheik let him pull ahead, into the throng of other Sheikah. He really had been being cruel. He would do better. Link was worth so much more than what Sheik had been giving him.

* * *

"Link! _Nalí_, come here!" Sheik neatly dodged a female Sheikah and a handsome Terminan soldier who had been having a very animated conversation. Link's tousled hair shown a muted gold in the torchlight as he turned his head around to smile softly at Sheik. He was standing there with Davin, while Luca was a few feet away, making wide gestures while talking to a different female Sheikah.

"No, you come here!" Link called back, still talking as Sheik approached. "Torren talked to me, you know. I had a little trouble understanding him, he really doesn't know all that much Hylian, but he apologized on your behalf." Link's sapphire eyes cut into Sheik's. "He shouldn't have had to do that for you."

"I know, I know, _nalí_, that's why I'm here. The stupid little weasel talked some sense into me."

"I understand it's hard for you..." Link murmured, pulling Sheik into his arms and laying his head down on his chest. "I completely understand that, but I don't know what to do with you when you get angry like that."

"I'll try harder," Sheik murmured into Link's golden hair. It was dark, and he could barely see ten feet in front of him, but he could just make out Davin's soft smile as those words left his mouth. "It's just me being stupid, when I yell at you, and I'm sorry. Just smack me next time, alright? I need to be knocked back to my senses."

Link's body vibrated warmly as he chuckled against Sheik's chest. "I don't think I could do that, but alright. Thank you for saying that."

Sheik brought his hand up to stroke through a few of those gilded strands. "As long as you know that, I'm happy. And I _will_ try harder, okay?"

Link's hands fisted into the back of Sheik's shirt. "Okay." He stretched up to peck Sheik on the lips before pulling away and holding onto his hand instead. "Are you getting tired yet?"

Sheik frowned. "I'm always tired now. If you're asking if I'm ready for sleep, then the answer's the same."

Link smiled, but didn't acknowledge Sheik's attempt at humor. "I'll set up our tent then. Good thing the snow's thinned out over here. It's been getting way too cold at night lately."

Sheik took that as a personal challenge.

* * *

"I thought you said you were tired," Link muttered breathlessly, arching under Sheik's touch.

"I thought you said you were cold," Sheik countered, scraping his teeth gently down Link's neck.

"You should be resting," Link got out just as a high, airy moan drowned out all his other speech.

"I'm fine," Sheik assured in a low growl. "I'm not going to strain myself or anything. Stop talking."

"You _will _strain yourself if you're not careful," Link argued, wriggling out from under him and turning them over, laying Sheik down on his back. "I want you to lie down, at the very least."

Sheik glowered up at Link, getting the urge to cross his arms haughtily, only to realize a second too late that he couldn't. Instead he grasped Link's left shoulder tightly, giving him the most sultry eyes he could muster. "I can't ravish you from down here."

"Good. You're poor recovering body shouldn't be ravishing anyone for at least another month. Maybe two."

Sheik's head fell back onto the balled up blanket that served as a pillow with a dull thud. "You can't be serious."

Link got a sly look on his face. "You can lay there nicely while we do this, like I keep telling you, or we can go straight to sleep.

"You're emasculating me," Sheik whined, stretching his neck back as Link's full, pillowy lips worked their magic on it.

Link rolled his eyes. "It's not emasculating. You're being submissive for once; get over it. Does my letting you constantly take the upper hand when we make love make me any less of a man? No, it absolutely does not. It's just another way to show that I love and trust you."

Sheik narrowed his eyes seductively. "I admit I've been curious about it."

Link's eyes widened by the light of the oil lamp. "Have you?"

Sheik sniffed nervously. "A bit, yeah. The noises you were making after we got it right the last time, goddesses... I've always been a bit scared of the idea, honestly, so naturally I've shied away from it." Sheik let his eyes fall to the hollow at the bottom of Link's throat.

Link's eyes brightened. "You've been afraid? That's why you always want me to do it? Goddesses, Sheik, you dummy, you should have said something. You think I wasn't scared the first time?"

"No, seeing as how you initiated it," Sheik grumbled.

Link's lips turned up into an amused smirk. "And the second time?"

"I honestly don't remember."

Link bent down and nudged Sheik's chin with his nose. "Liar, liar," he sang. "Eyes on fire. Something, something that rhymes with liar."

Sheik pursed his lips together, trying to hide a smile. "You're cute."

Link put his lips against Sheik's ear, whispering. "When you're better, we can try it the other way around. Would you like that?"

"I'd like us to be able to do that with each other," Sheik said, picking his words carefully. "I'd like us to... be... versatile. At least some of the time."

Link smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling adorably in the corners. "I'd like for you to be strong again. Are you ready to sleep yet? I'm tired."

Sheik brought his arm up and wrapped it tightly around Link's waist. "You know, you often snip at me for being too headstrong, and not thinking through the things I do."

"No, you _over-_think them, and then because of that you worry the whole thing into a frayed mess and come to the wrong decision," Link corrected. "Stop trying to get out of telling me whether or not you're ready to sleep yet."

"Whatever," Sheik replied. "My point is that the one thing I do think of most often is you. And how love is such an art; and how we try really hard, but we're not all that good at it, yet we still make it work."

"Both of us has experienced at least some of the right kind of love in our past to draw from," Link answered, sliding off of Sheik and curling up next to him instead. "It's important to know how to be loved, so that you can love the right way. Selflessly. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for sleep."

"And I love you and want everything with you. Which makes me really glad this came up and we talked about it. I'm glad we can talk about things with no trouble."

"Where's all this coming from?" Link asked, his voice quiet and sleepy.

"I don't know," Sheik answered honestly. "Just a feeling I got."

"S'feeling?" came the younger boy's muffled reply.

"You're too tired to keep up this conversation," Sheik said lovingly. "Goodnight, _lalu_."

* * *

"Welcome to Termina City, Sheikah friends!" The King of Termina, Balistrade VI boomed from the high balcony set over the cobbled courtyard. "I have heard word of your coming, and am most pleased to welcome you all to our court. You are all welcome guests."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Fen answered back in a loud voice, bowing his head slightly. "If you knew of our coming, then I trust that you have suspicions as to why my people are here."

"I am most curious indeed, Master Sheikah," King Balistrade replied warmly. "I insist on inviting you inside my palace, and I will meet with you and perhaps a few of your trusted advisors downstairs in the council room to discuss things. Is this to your satisfaction?"

Fen inclined his head again. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Then I shall see you inside, Master Sheikah."

Fen nodded to Gilan, who stood at his right side, as the King exited back inside the palace, taking his party of soldiers with him. "You will sit in with me while we discuss things with the King," Fen whispered into his ear. "We will present the letter to him, signed by the nine clan chiefs, and then speak with him about any qualms he may have." Fen took said letter out of the pocket on his cloak and passed it off to Gilan as covertly as he could manage.

"Of course, Fen," Gilan replied, tucking the letter away and looking back behind him at the small sea of Sheikah, no doubt scanning the crowd for his eldest son. He turned his gaze back on Fen. "Shall we go now?"

Fen nodded again. "Stay behind for a moment and tell the others what is going on, for all of those who do not understand what it was the King said."

"I still do not understand why Terminans use the _Hylian_ language," Fen heard Gilan mutter as he went on ahead, passing under the arch, through the raised iron portcullis, and climbing the steps leading to the door of the citadel, which stood open, like a great gilded maw waiting to swallow him whole.

Inside was all manner of splendor. There were rich crimson and purple tapestries hung on the wall, and paintings of all the former rulers of the kingdom. Fen shook his head and let his eyes drop back down to the polished marble floor he was walking on, his booted feet making soft tapping sounds. He was quite certain that if all races came from such humble roots as his own people-being partially nomadic and living off the land-they wouldn't have come to have a problem like they did now. Maybe if things were like that, they wouldn't have Sheikah living in the estates and manors of Hylian courtiers and nobleman, forced to be personal bodyguards and all around slaves.

"Master Sheikah," a guard called from one of the side doors, beckoning him over. Fen looked around at all the other guards stationed along the walls before sighing uncomfortably and walking over to the grand double doors. He didn't like the great stone walls, blocking him in from the world. He couldn't see the sky...

"My advisor, Gilan-_parí_ will be accompanying me shortly," he said to the guard, who simply nodded as he ushered Fen into a grand, high backed chair set along the side of a table as large as the family tables back in their village. Fen ran his hands over the dark, glossy wood with fascination. The wood of their own tables back in the desert—tables on which he had eaten thousands of warm, fire-lit meals—was nicked and full of dents and imperfections. He preferred to think of them as memories. This table looked like it was polished regularly... and like it was hardly ever used. Fen felt a sharp pang of longing in his chest for the home he'd left, and for Betali-_nalí_. He didn't much care for the outside world.

He heard someone enter behind him, and turned to see Gilan walking into the long, narrow room. "Someone's compensating for something," he muttered in Sheikahn as he took in the rather large stature of things.

"Gilan," Fen gestured to the large chair directly across the narrow table from him. As Gilan sat down, his eyes moved to the even larger chair at the very end of the table, some ten feet away.

Gilan shook his head, narrowing his eyes as he looked at different things around the narrow room. "No man was ever meant to live in a space this big. It's unnatural to build castles like this."

Fen smirked. "How else would they show off their oh-so-important status?"

"Gentleman," a voice said from the opposite end of the room. Both Fen and Gilan's heads snapped up, and Fen was extremely grateful that Gilan and he had been using Sheikahn to converse. It was King Balistrade; he'd entered from a door in the opposite wall. The King was a very tall, very thin man; with long, silken-looking black hair and a thinly shaved beard. "I am most pleased to have you here to represent your people." He inclined his head to them only very slightly as he took his seat.

Fen shifted uncomfortably in his seat as all the doors were shut around them. This was precisely what he didn't like about closed buildings and four walls: no means of escape in case of emergency.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Fen cleared his throat, folding his hands on the polished table before him. "Gilan, give him the letter," Fen instructed, grateful of Gilan's basic knowledge of the tongue spoken by these men. It felt odd calling the language 'Hylian' outside of Hyrule. Who was to even know what the specific language was ever originally called?

Gilan nodded and pulled the yellowed, road-worn parchment out of his cloak. When he started to stand up, King Balistrade waved him down with a hand and a quick grin.

"Frederick, come in here!"

The door in which Fen and Gilan had entered opened; and a short, red faced man wearing velvet clothing entered, bowing low at the waist.

"Bring that to me," the King instructed, holding out his hand. Frederick took the letter from Gilan and put it in the hand of his master. "That will be all," King Balistrade said quietly, his eyes already scanning down the page. Frederick bowed once more before exiting the way he had come.

"Hmm..." King Balistrade murmured, tapping his upper lip with his smallest finger, a heavy ring set with a large ruby meeting his chin with each tap. "I see..."

When at last he had finished reading the lengthy message, his eyes shifted back up to lock with Fen's. "So the nine clan chiefs wish to form an alliance with the Kingdom of Termina?"

Fen simply nodded, keeping a careful eye on the man.

Balistrade tapped his upper lip a few more times, eyes scanning back over the letter. "I will reveal something to you."

That took Fen by surprise. He shared a quick look of confusion with Gilan before turning back to the King.

"Your Princess... Well, not _your_ princess, but the Princess of Hyrule, wrote to my son, Prince Thellon. She went against King Nohansen's wishes; expressing concern for your people and what I regret to say unfortunately happened to a great number of you within my own lands."

"Princess Zelda?" Fen said in astonishment, completely bewildered. Sheik had said that the princess had been kind to him, but Fen never expected the girl to be so greatly rallied to their efforts as to go against her father.

"The very same," King Balistrade agreed, tapping that finger again. "My son told me of all she said, and I must admit that I found myself very distraught by the position your people find themselves in. It is not right that you should be the slaves of anyone, and I will be frank in saying that Hyrule has been silently holding the threat of you over my kingdom's head, in order to make us comply with their... preferences in how things such as trade between our two countries should be carried out. You're their hidden weapon, so to speak. And King Nohansen, the very few times I've spoken to him, is very fond of bringing you up in conversation."

"Your reason for saying this, Your Highness?" Fen asked, on guard.

"I am approaching this from a place of good business, so that we may avoid any rising suspicions on either of our parts, Master Sheikah. I wish you to know upfront my motives in this. The reason I am so interested in helping your people is so that they are no longer Hyrule's hidden weapon."

"With respect, Your Highness," Fen murmured, choosing his words carefully. "My people have no interest in entering into an alliance with your kingdom, if all you wish is to gain a secret weapon for yourself. My people are not a weapon to be fought for and won."

The King waved his hand in the air, pulling it back to tug uninterestedly at a strand of his sleek black hair. "My, heavens no! I have no wish of controlling you. My objective is to be an aid in removing you from Nohansen's grasp. With you at his disposal, as you have been in the past, he commands far too strong a force. To be honest with you, I'd be quite happy if the Sheikah were out of the picture all together, far away from here. It would certainly make things easier on me, rather than having to enter into an alliance that may spark war from Hyrule."

"You have a large army," Fen answered. "Your men fighting with the Sheikah could overtake Hyrule."

The King shook his head. "No, I will be very clear in saying that if I can help it, if it comes to a fight when you confront Nohansen, you will be fighting alone. I will not risk my own people's lives in a struggle that isn't even ours. I am simply looking for a way to easily better my kingdom's prospects and the safety of my subjects, you see. Without your people at his every whim, Nohansen will be far less powerful. Our two kingdoms haven't been at war in many hundreds of years, Master Sheikah, but I do indeed favor the idea of a possible opponent such as Hyrule not having as great an advantage over us. It would be in my best interest to take away that advantage—you—from all possible future enemies, don't you think?"

"What if your decision to put your support behind us causes Hyrule to go to war with you?"

The King smiled. "Well then, Master Sheikah; if that did indeed turn out to be the case, I'm sure your people would be very interested in aiding Termina in order to have a better chance of defeating Hyrule. So in other words, we would still win."

"But not without a loss. Your people may get hurt."

Balistrade sighed. "Master Sheikah—"

"My name is _Fen_," Fen interrupted, tired of being constantly referred to as 'Master Sheikah.'

Balistrade arched a coal black eyebrow lazily over his forehead, but did not say anything regarding Fen's interruption. "_Fen_, I am willing to offer your people my backing in your stand. What is there for you to question?"

"Your motives," Fen answered almost immediately. "I do not care what they are, personally, so long as they are not to gain the will of the Sheikah for yourself."

"I will not lie. Although I can see the benefits of having a race such as the Sheikah under my control, _Fen_, I have neither desire nor any intention of trying to indenture your people to my service. I am simply... trying to better the standing of my own country. And I will say now that it wouldn't hurt to have your noble people as possible allies of Termina."

"We will owe you no favors," Fen warned, risking a swift glance at Gilan to find him gazing back evenly at the King, his face and expression controlled.

"No," Balistrade agreed, looking straight at Fen with only honesty in his expression. "You will owe us no favors. I speak only of being allies. A shoulder to lean on, in either direction, should the need ever arise."

Fen inclined his head. "Then we are both willing parties," he stated.

King Balistrade nodded. "We are, Fen. Shall I call upon my scribe to draw up a treaty? Perhaps in the meantime we can talk some more of the conditions and demands of both our sides."

* * *

Link was sitting next to Torren, atop one of the raised half-walls that stood on either side of the castle courtyard. Sheik was standing between his legs, hand absently rubbing gentle circles into Link's knee; the top of his head at about the same level as Link's chest. The older Sheikah's eyes were trained past the stone arch, on the large double doors Fen and Gilan had disappeared into.

Torren was fiddling with the edge of his heavy black traveling cloak. One of his legs was pulled up under him, and he was angled towards Link. They'd been talking quietly for the last ten minutes while Sheik stared.

"It's hard to sit still," Torren murmured. "Knowing that so much... er... _holds_ on the talk in that building. Thinking Osidian_-näba_ and the other chiefs will trust Fen with it is..."

"Fen is more than capable, I think," Link commented. "I trust he will do your people well."

"That I do not doubt," Torren replied, for once getting every word right. "It's quiet."

The brunette Sheikah had a point. An eerie and strange hush had fallen over the nearly hundred Sheikah gathered in the courtyard. Only a few quiet conversations were taking place, like Link and Torren's. It felt like at any moment the world would break and shatter into a million pieces if the wrong thing was said.

"Are you worried?" Link murmured, raising a hand and stroking the top of Sheik's head thoughtfully. He hadn't been addressing one of them in particular; he was just curious.

"I am extremely worried." Sheik was the one to answer, his eyes still trained on the door. His arm kept fidgeting; he would raise it to his chest every few minutes only to drop it again with a small sigh. Link suspected he was trying to cross his arms.

"Much could go bad," Torren agreed.

Link turned his head to gaze at Torren. He knew so little about the boy, other than that he was roughly the same age as Link, give or take a few months. He also knew that he and Sheik were best friends, and had grown up together, but other than that... It saddened him that there would be little to no time to get to know this person who had been such a large part of Sheik's life.

"I have a feeling things will go alright," Link murmured, tugging on Sheik's shoulder a little to get the older boy to lean back into him. When he did, Link squeezed his right shoulder gently.

"Where is your brother?" Sheik asked quietly, not acknowledging what Link had said.

"Way across the courtyard, near the portcullis." Link leaned down over Sheik and pointed at the level of his eyes, so that he could see more easily. Luca and Davin were both sitting on the ground against one of the great stone walls. They were both looking out over the crowd of Sheikah, simply waiting themselves.

"Link?" Sheik spoke again.

"What is it, love?"

"I miss Addica. Is he alright?"

Link smiled as he thought fondly of the tiny little blonde boy they had rescued. "He's well, love. I left him with Duncan. I didn't think it'd be good for him to be on the road in all this cold, otherwise I would have brought him with me to see you."

"Addica?" Torren asked, confusion obvious in his voice.

"The last survivor of the Sheikah group massacred south of here," Sheik murmured, eyes never once leaving the large double doors.

"A boy? How old?"

"I'd peg him at about four, maybe a small five. He's certainly smart enough to be five."

"I miss him," Sheik repeated.

"We'll see him again when this is all over. We'll take him with us and live somewhere nice." Link kissed the top of Sheik's head.

"Perhaps," was all Sheik said. Link left it alone after that, and they waited in the courtyard for what felt like at least another hour before there was movement beyond the stone arch that held the portcullis. A figure was walking through the enormous doors of the castle, followed by another. As they made their way under the arch of the raised portcullis, the thin winter sun shown down on their respective blonde and light brunette heads. It was Fen and Gilan. So the negotiations were over.

Sheik leaned forward expectantly as the two Sheikah reached the throng, eyeing everyone with vacant, impassive eyes. And then Fen opened his mouth.

"The Sheikah race," he began in a strong, even voice. "Has entered into an alliance with the Kingdom of Termina."

And then all at once, a roar swept over the some hundred Sheikah gathered there as they all cheered and celebrated the momentous achievement. Sheik whirled around between Link's legs and stretched up to throw his arm around Link's waist, pressing his face into his stomach as he laughed loudly. Torren even leaned over and hugged Link, smacking a big, loud kiss on the side of his head before he jumped down and practically tackled Sheik.

Link grinned broadly as the two of them scuffled for a moment, both of them just laughing with pure joy and excitement. Link looked up across the square, to where Davin and Luca were locked together in a tight embrace. As he was watching his brother and Luca, he felt a strong tug on his arm that yanked him down off of the half-wall. Before he could even focus on what had happened or who had pulled him, he was being shoved roughly up against the stone, Sheik's mouth hot over his, kissing him hungrily.

A couple loud catcalls and wolf whistles sounded up around them, and Link actually had the sense to be embarrassed as Sheik ground them further into the wall, pushing and grasping and not letting go; gasping and caressing and trailing his mouth over Link's. Link didn't care. He didn't want him to stop.

"_Sheik, fayo clove tynor leif_!" Link faintly heard Torren yell past the roaring in his ears that the frantic beating of his heart made. Sheik's lips parted from his and he heard him chuckle softly against them before simply throwing an arm around Link's neck in a tight embrace. Link let his arms wrap around Sheik's back and held on with all his strength, shutting his eyes tight.

After a moment or two, Sheik pulled back, turning and grinning devilishly at Torren. "He can breathe fine, see? You had nothing to be worried about."

Torren rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go talk to Fen and my father."

"There's sure to be quite a long receiving line," Sheik commented with amusement. "They've just made history, after all."

"I can't believe," Torren agreed. "The rest... eh, the _others _in Hyrule will be so happy!" They all wormed through the crowd, working their way to the center of it, where Fen and Gilan stood, graciously accepting congratulations and kind remarks, one after another.

Link let himself be pulled through the thick mass of bodies, happy to be anchored by Sheik's right hand tightly clutching his. Things were going really, really well, and the Sheikahs' prospects in this war were looking good.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Things are finally all falling into place! Expect the next chapter in a week, maybe a week and a half.**

**Translations:**

**What Torren said when Sheik was kissing Link after the great news:**

**'_Sheik, fayo clove tynor leif!_' = 'Sheik, let him breath some!'**

**That Torren's a silly little guy, eh? XD**


	35. The Beginning Of The End

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Five: The Beginning Of The End**

Duncan held up the adorably small pair of trousers in his hands, grinning widely at them as he folded them and placed them within a pack. "You, my dear fellow," he said in Sheikahn. "Have the most adorable clothes I've ever seen. It's like they were made for a little miniature man."

The little boy sitting cross-legged on the bed didn't answer, but Duncan didn't really mind. He rather enjoyed the comfortable silence that often fell between the two of them.

"Have you anything else that needs packing away then? Hmmm?" Duncan stored away the last tiny little tunic before tying the top shut. "We've quite a long journey ahead of us if we want to be ready when Link and Sheik arrive."

Addica's head tilted up to look at him. "Link," he murmured. "Did he get Sheik yet?"

"I believe so, little one," Duncan answered jovially. "They've certainly had enough time to find each other again, the silly things. I imagine that now they'll be caught up with the war."

"War?" Addica asked.

"Yes, lad. Your kin from the north are off to tear Hyrule a new one. Serves 'em right if you ask me. Horrible, nasty thing they did. Inexcusable. But Link and Sheik are off helping to set things back in place, as they should be."

"The ones who killed my mommy and daddy?" Addica asked again, in that quiet, reserved voice that was not befitting of a four year old. "And my friends Shylan and Perro? And, and their mommies and daddies too?"

Duncan stilled his movement and swallowed roughly, regarding Addica with something like humbled awe. "Yes, little one."

"Link is a H- a _Hy-li-an_," Addica sounded out the word. "And he's married to Sheik. And his nice brothers are _Hy-li-an_ too. And so is the nice lady that is married to his brother. And the nice man that is married to his other brother."

Duncan quirked a smile at the child's simple yet fairly accurate understanding of everything. "Yes, and they're the best of the bunch, lad. Kind hearted people, through and through."

"That man..." Addica hesitated, sitting up on his knees. "That man who is Link's father?"

"Yes?" Duncan encouraged, curiosity piqued.

"He gave me sweets yesterday," The little boy confessed, looking at his lap. "He said 'ouuur seeecret.'" The child fumbled over the foreign words that were apparently quoted from Brock's mouth. "I like him."

Duncan's brow furrowed. Brock... had given Addica-a _Sheikah_ child-sweets? Well... that was... was... that was lovely! Actually, that was _fantastically_ ideal! Perhaps the old dog was showing some signs of reformation. Duncan, for one, was perfectly fine with him slipping Addica sweets. Let him slip him sweets until the little boy's teeth rotted out, if it meant Brock was having a change of heart! Goddesses, this was grand news, indeed!

"Well, that was certainly kind of him!" Duncan crowed, plopping onto the bed next to the little tyke.

Addica managed a small grin, and nodded his head furiously.

"You'll have to thank him again before we leave this afternoon." Duncan reached over and pulled the tiny boy into his lap, tickling his sides, chuckling as he wormed and squirmed in his arms, laughing up a happy storm. "Come on!" Duncan stood up off the bed abruptly, carrying Addica with him. "Let's go say goodbye to Miss Anju and Mister Kafei!"

Duncan trotted happily out of the room, placing Addica on his shoulders as he made his way merrily down the stairs and into the front room. Anju was sitting behind the counter, knitting as usual. Duncan plopped Addica up on the counter, leaning against it next to him.

"_Najee_, Miss Anju!" Addica squeaked happily. Considering his understanding-or lack thereof-of any language other than Sheikahn, he probably thought that 'Miss Anju' was her actual name. That was alright, though, because everyone in the inn had been greeted by Addica enough times to know that '_Najee_,' was an affectionate way to say hello.

Anju absolutely beamed as she stood up and came to the counter, rubbing Addica's slender shoulder with a gentle, motherly hand. _Ah, yes, motherly indeed_, Duncan thought, looking at her curiously in the eyes. "Hello there, Mister Addica. I hear you and the Earl are leaving us today."

Duncan quietly translated the words that Addica hadn't come to understand yet, which was almost all of them. Addica nodded, but didn't say anything; simply smiling and nodding his head vigorously so that his overgrown blonde hair fell into his eyes was enough communication for him.

"Yes, yes, heading down further south," Duncan responded for him. "It's about time I started looking for a certain someone. The end of the tale is nigh, and all of that that utter nonsense. I daresay my part in this story isn't a very large one, but I insist on playing it well. Which means, my dear lady, that there is someone I must find. I've seen it."

Anju raised her carefully sculpted eyebrows. "Oh? And who might this certain someone be?"

Duncan merely smiled, shaking his head. "I can't tell you. I'm afraid it's a secret that I must keep until the end of all this. But _do_ tell me, beautiful lady," Duncan said smoothly, distracting Anju from whoever his secret 'someone' might be. "Where is your handsome husband? Tell me, does he know you're with child?" Duncan smirked, adding a wink for good measure.

Anju's face went pale. "I-I... what? I _am_?"

Now it was Duncan's turn to pale in shock. "Oh, I-I'm sorry! Terribly sorry! You didn't know yet, did you? Goodness me, I should learn to keep my mouth shut! I allow myself to get comfortable with those around me, and then I go lax, running about, spewing everyone's secrets to them before they even know them themselves! I am a _menace_, dear lady! An absolute _menace_!"

"Menace!" Addica echoed with a bubbling giggle. Like a parrot, that one was.

"Goodness, are you quite sure?" Anju breathed, a hand over her chest. Poor woman was going to blow a gasket, tear at the seams, or do something other spontaneous, impractical thing!

Duncan grinned at her, a tad bit embarrassed for letting the news slip before she knew it herself. "I offer you my congratulations, fair lady. It will indeed be a beautiful child. Half Sheikah, in fact! Won't that be interesting? I wonder what color its eyes will turn out? This sort of thing doesn't happen all that often, does it? I've only read about one case such as this, but the mother of the Sheikah's babe was Gerudo, and so of _course_ it came out with red eyes! But yours are so lovely and blue. Let's see... blue and red together... why, that makes purple! Ha! Haha! Just like your husband's hair! Oh, wouldn't that be a great laugh! To think! I'd be rather glad if I were you that Master Kafei's hair is a failed attempt at disguise, and not hereditary, because a child with violet hair _and _violet eyes? What a sight that would be! Speaking of which, is his hair ever going to fade back into its original color? Don't tell him I said so, but he looks rather silly walking about with those purple locks! And his Sheikah frame is so thin that I've heard people mistake him for a woman from behind! Frightfully embarrassing, if you ask me..."

Anju shook her head, still ghostly pale as she stumbled back into her chair and sat down. "Earl, you talk a mile a minute! I can't even begin to take this all in!"

"Take what all in?" Kafei asked as he came around the corner, fiddling with some metal contraption. It looked a bit like a dismantled doorknob. Kafei had recovered well from being kidnapped by the Hylians, but every so often, Duncan would catch a lost, haunted look in his ruby eyes.

"Kafei, darling," Anju breathed, still quite near hyperventilating. "Duncan says I'm pregnant?" She phrased it like a question, making Duncan chuckle.

Kafei's brow furrowed together. "Really? You-you don't look it." He made a wide gesture in font of his own flat stomach with his hands, igniting an irritated look from his wife. "Uhh..."

Duncan laughed out loud, pounding his fist on the counter. "Dear goddesses, this is all just too much fun! What a reaction!"

Kafei glowered at Duncan for a moment before walking over and kneeling next to Anju, taking her in his arms. He kissed her cheek, burying his hand in her auburn hair. "A baby," he breathed. 'I'll be... I'll be a father. A family." The amount of pure joy on his face was heartwarming.

"Well, come on, lad," Duncan said, scooping up Addica once more. "We must find the others and say our farewells so we can get a move on. Time's a wasting. Goodbye, mom!" he called back with a grin. "Goodbye dad!"

They left through the front door, walking across the eastern square and into the game store that Jasten and Rosalyn had opened up. It was brightly lit inside, and cheery, and it seemed that they had walked in on the happy couple right in the middle of one of their snogging sessions.

Addica squeaked in fright and buried his face in Duncan's shoulder. Duncan laughed, remembering how the boy had told him how Sheik had threatened to kiss him once, something that would no doubt be completely horrific. "My, my!" Duncan said loudly, spooking the couple-who apparently hadn't heard the door opening. They both stared at him wide-eyed, breathing heavily, and with swollen lips. "Is that what you're selling here, then? You should advertise it outside. The whole town will be over to watch! I daresay you'll have the most successful business in Termina! Should I go and spread the news to the town? When's the first showing?"

Rosalyn's cheeks went bright red, and she smoothed out her skirts. Jasten cleared his throat, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "Er... Duncan, we didn't realize you'd be... uh, over today."

"Well, we've only come to say goodbye, but if we're interrupting something, we'll just be off!" Duncan said smartly, smirking.

"No, no! please," Rosalyn stepped forward, taking Addica from Duncan's arms and squeezing him tightly. "See you again soon, little one," She murmured sweetly, kissing the top of his head. Addica didn't even squirm. Rosalyn was the only one he'd let kiss him. Well, her and Anju. That's right, just the ladies. The little guy was a lady's man; a charmer, just like his uncle Duncan. Fifteen years down the line, and he'd be breaking hearts left and right!

Rosalyn set him down on the counter and then hugged Duncan as well. "Thank you, for all you've done for us, and for Link as well, and... really just everyone. You're a blessing, Duncan."

Duncan smiled. "My dear, beautiful lady," he said in a low, mellow voice. "You are going to make me blush, and I look absolutely dreadful in red."

Rosalyn laughed as Jasten came around and offered Duncan his hand, shaking it firmly. "Thanks," he said, a small smile pulling at his lips. Addica had climbed down off the counter and walked over, hugging Jasten's legs. "Tanks!" he said, eyes closed. They all laughed at his odd-sounding little Hylian word.

Duncan and Addica were off again, hand in hand and searching for Brock. Jasten had told them that he was in the lower town; that he'd picked up work helping with some sort of... lifting... thing, or other... Duncan couldn't even remember. Something to do with labor. They found him after a short time; in a tiny, cozy stable, petting the head of a foal as it ate from his hand. He didn't even stop and try to act surly when they approached. He just... smiled softly, waving a little with his free hand. Duncan was... taken aback by how calm he looked. He hadn't had much interaction with the man, to be honest. But... he seemed so peaceful now. He seemed... different, somehow.

"Are you two off, then?" he asked, smiling gently as he wiped his hand on his trousers, looking up at them. He was growing a beard, it seemed. It looked good on him! Duncan thought about complimenting him on this to ease the tension, but he really didn't need to. There was no tension; just a calm peacefulness about the man.

"Yes we are. South for a little while, then back here, maybe."

"I hope your journey is a safe one, then."

"Addica wanted to say goodbye to you," Duncan continued, pushing the little tyke forward a bit. "He told me this big secret, you see. Top security, if you know what I mean." Brock just stared at him with a bemused expression. "He said that Link's father had been very nice to him, and had given him some sweets. And don't you worry. I'll take the secret to my grave." Duncan crossed his heart, zipped his lips, locked them, and then mimed swallowing the key for good measure.

Brock closed his eyes for the tiniest of moments before nodding, looking at Addica and spreading his arms. The little boy ran into them and clutched Brock around the middle, letting his head rest on the man's wide chest. And the sight of them... Duncan knew full well what this man had done in his past, but... the sight of him, embracing this little boy, a member of the race that he had hated and feared his entire life; it felt a bit like... like maybe the world was changing. And Brock was changing with it. For the better. For good.

"Well then, ya wee lamb," Duncan said loudly, not bothering to speak in Sheikahn as they passed underneath the large clock in the central part of town. Addica looked up at him, his hand tightly clutching Duncan's. "Are you ready for our little sub-adventure to start?"

The child grinned, nodding his head vigorously: his favorite form of communication. He probably wasn't all that sure of what Duncan had said, but he was enthusiastic all the same.

"Right then, back to the inn for our things, and then we'll be off!"

"Off!" Addica parroted.

* * *

"So, back in Hyrule, eh?" Link started, floundering for a topic of conversation. He was alone with Torren, surrounded by other Sheikah he had known for less than two weeks, and he had absolutely no idea where Sheik had gotten off to.

Torren got this really peculiar expression on his face. "Yes, now. We are. Did you not know?"

Link had to force the urge to roll his eyes. He couldn't tell if Torren was kidding with him or not. "I did know. I was born in this forest, you know. Further east than this, but in this province, and in this forest. I know this area really well."

"That is interesting," Torren commented. "I had not ever seen so many trees in my life."

Link laughed aloud. "You know, that day I met Sheik in the desert, and I told him that this was where I was from and... described it all to him, he told me he couldn't fathom this many trees in one place, like you just said."

Torren frowned, pulling his horse back as it tossed its neck. They were all on foot, leading their mounts along by the reigns in order to give them a break from the constant galloping. "Fathom?" he questioned.

"It means... To imagine. To think of."

"Ah." He nodded. "At that time... I would have been the same. I still miss the sun clear in the sky, and the open, and the changing sand. Trees... trees are nice, but they are... uh... _different_. There was a tree close, though, near to our village."

"I remember the one." Link smiled as he remembered. "By that little spring."

"Spring?" Torren frowned at him again, making a corkscrew motion with his finger. He looked terribly confused.

"Oh, um... The water? The water by the tree, in your village?"

"What are you two up to?" Sheik asked, suddenly coming up from behind them, his left arm snaking its way around Link's waist. He was horseless; someone else must have been watching his for him.

Link bit his lip, trying not to smirk. "I'm talking with Torren."

Sheik grinned, laughing out loud. "And by 'talking with,' I assume you mean attempting to communicate?" He'd been in the best of moods ever since they had left Termina City; all his shortness of patience and temper were gone, swapped with a mischievous attitude and a witty playfulness. Link was so glad for it, for it meant that Sheik had hope. It meant that he was confident that they would pull through all this; and he wasn't focusing on the loss of his arm or the constant fatigue it caused him. He must have actually believed that they would bargain for their freedom without a fight. It didn't seem like he was even entertaining any other outcome. "What can't he say now?"

"No, actually I can understand him a little better today. Maybe he's learning off me, I don't know, but when he talks, it seems less... broken, maybe."

Sheik arched an eyebrow ever so high above his crimson eye as he gazed down at Link. "So what's the problem?"

"There are some words he can't quite grasp. 'Spring,' for one. And 'fathom.'"

Link watched as Sheik raised his chin, nodding to Torren. "_Fara lune i languia louatep, Tor_." He grinned, his eyes glittering in the bright, leaf-dappled winter sunshine that was leaking through the trees.

"_Fara graythea hai_," Torren sniffed in a voice that sounded almost offended.

Sheik laughed even louder at whatever Torren had said. "Aye," he chuckled. "And you're lucky I do. But I'm afraid Link beats you in that department."

"Just because I don't give you sex!" Torren shouted suddenly, a maniac grin plastered on his face. He doubled over so suddenly that he spooked his horse, the mount tossing its head in annoyance.

Sheik tugged Link along when he tried to stop, leaving Torren behind. People had to work their way around him, as he was blocking the path. They were also giving him weird looks-Sheik too- because, well... that _had_ been a rather odd thing to shout out.

"Good goddesses, what was that about?" Link asked quietly, tucking his head down. He blushed furiously as another Sheikah nearby looked over at the pair of them, and then back at Torren, with a baffled expression.

"Basically it went like this: I called Torren an idiot, he argued that I adore him, I agreed but said I adore _you_ more than _him_, and apparently he thinks the reason for that is because, and I quote: 'he doesn't give me sex.' He thought it was hilarious, apparently."

"He is a complete nutter." Link sighed, shaking his head.

"Anyways, on a lighter and much more interesting note, I've convinced Fen to let us have a bonfire tonight at dinner. We haven't really had the chance to celebrate our alliance with the Terminans yet. I bullied him into it, really. There'll be music, and dancing, and-."

"A lot like the first night I knew you, then?" Link interrupted, smiling fondly up at Sheik.

"A lot like that night, yes," Sheik agreed, looking down to meet Link's gaze as he smiled right on back. "I think we could all use a little celebration. My life's just been one big sob story for the past month. I'd like tonight to be the start of a happy ending."

"Things _are_ looking up," Link commented, tugging on Epona's reins gently when the mare had started stooping down to graze.

"We'll continue on for another hour or so. And then a traditional Sheikah bonfire!" Sheik took his arm back from around Link and rubbed his left shoulder, wincing noticeably.

"Are you alright?" Link asked, watching him with his brow drawn down.

"It's... painting me a little more today, but I'll be alright."

Link frowned. "You do look a little pale. Maybe you should ride on Epona for a little while?"

"Are you kidding? On that horse? Have you forgotten our rocky history? It's bloody fraught with woe, Link, in case you've forgotten."

"She only hates you because you suggested having her for breakfast."

Sheik smiled, still rubbing his stump. "I deny that ever happening, and if it did happen, I blame it on my delirious, hunger-induced state at the time. But no, I'm alright. I want as much exercise as I can manage so that I can get strong again. I'm done with being tired and feverish all the time. I just want to forget, and get back to as close to normal as possible."

"You will, love," Link murmured, feeling certain that it was true.

Link wasn't even sure where all the wine had come from, or _why_ those around him had let him drink so much. _Especially _Sheik. Sheik _knew_ how bad he was with wine.

They had eaten more that night than they had in the last two days combined, and the huge bonfire burning in the clearing was taller than he was. It's searing heat burned his cheeks, making him too hot, but he didn't care. He didn't care because all around him, dulcet tones and notes were being blown into clay flutes and ocarinas, and plucked from the strings of harps and lyres. Couples were spinning each other and holding hands around the fire, laughing and chattering loudly, adding to the warm feel of the chilly winter night. The music blended together and rose into the air, creating a sort of magic that was buzzing in Link's veins.

Link was thinking about all this when he looked over at Sheik, sitting on the log-turned-bench next to him. There were others on the bench, so many that Sheik and Link were pushed right up against each other, thighs pressed together. Sheik's lips slid up into a wicked, lopsided grin as he gazed back at Link. He jerked his head in the direction of the fire, a question in his eyes. "Have you had enough wine yet, _lalu_?"

Link got the message. He nodded, standing up. "I might have," he answered with a smirk, holding his hand out for Sheik, pulling him onto his feet as well.

Hand in hand, they took a few steps towards the fire, turning to face each other. There was a quick awkward moment when they both realized that they couldn't do this the same way as last time; there was only three arms between the two of them now. The last time they'd danced around the fire, they'd held both hands together for almost the whole time, twirling each other in circles, coming in so close that their chests would touch, and stretching apart so far that their arms ached with the wight of the other. But Link solved the problem quickly by taking Sheik's right hand and twirling him around once. It did its job of breaking the sudden tension, anyways.

Sheik smiled at him sheepishly as he came out of the twirl, grasping onto his hand tighter. Something was seriously wrong with them. They were both looking at each other like bashful children. This little bit of Sheikah culture was part of what had first brought them together. A couple loud whistles came up from the crowd surrounding them, causing them both to blush. Well, not exactly; Link blushed, while Sheik simply smirked. No one in the contingent seemed to have a problem with egging them on, or with them being together. Link heard a 'Get on with it, you two!' That suspiciously sounded like it had come from Luca.

Well, all right then.

Link tugged on Sheik's arm, spinning him again as they began to move. Sheik responded in turn by turning them around, so that they were on opposite sides, and he spun Link this time, pulling him close as they moved. Link grinned widely, putting his hand on Sheik's waist and grabbing his hand with the other as they stepped-well, _bounced_, really-with the primal, yet airy and mystical music.

Here they were, on the edge of what could be considered enemy territory, and they were having a celebration! A Sheikah bash. Shapes and dusky yet glaringly bright colors soared up around Link as he and Sheik spun in tight circles, orbiting around the great bonfire. They somehow managed to avoid hitting the other dozen or so people dancing around them, and both of them just began laughing. Sheik started first, a pure, joyous sound that had caught on to Link before long.

After a time, Link removed his arm from Sheik's waist, pulling him out of the circle of whirling dancers, both of them stumbling to a stop and laughing heartily over it. "The wine, or the-the spinning!" Link basically shouted, for the noise around them seemed to have grown louder. "I'm dizzy!" he summarized, tripping over his own feet as they moved further away from the fire.

In a surprising act of strength and balance, Sheik's arm whipped out like a snake and caught Link around the middle, pulling him back up. "Steady there," he murmured, squeezing Link's shoulders. Link looked up at him, momentarily astounded by just how... r_ed_ Sheik's eyes were in this lighting. They stood out from the whites of his eyes like two crimson pools, watching him, loving him. Sheik cocked his head as Link stared. "What?" he asked.

"Have I ever told you how handsome you are?" Link mumbled, managing to plant a sloppy kiss on the fabric covering Sheik's collarbone. His heart was starting to beat faster.

Sheik's eyes lit up with mirth. "You know what? I don't think you ever have. Not those exact words, anyways."

Link's head was now supported on Sheik's shoulder. "You are very, very handsome. You have a devilish charm. I love that. I love your mmmmrrr-your mmmmirth."

"Dear sweet goddesses, _lalu_," Sheik said through a snort of laughter. "How much wine did you actually _have_? Through it all I'd forgotten just how ridiculous you are when you're drunk."

By now they were a short walk away from the bonfire, strolling slowly and without direction under the moonlit trees. Link frowned, his hand fisting into the fabric of Sheik's shirt. "'Mmm not drunk."

"Oh, but you are," Sheik insisted, which sparked a little irritation in Link. He knew himself well enough to know that things felt a little off... like, he was pretty sure the world wasn't supposed to tip like that when he walked, and he _knew_ his body shouldn't be feeling so warm on such a bitingly cold night. That was the alcohol in his blood. He _knew_ that. He just didn't like admitting it. So what?

"How do you do it?" he sighed. Out of nowhere, he fisted his hands into Sheik's collar and pushed him up against the trunk of a tree, glaring at him indignantly. "How do you stay so... collected? And... Uh..."

Sheik rolled his eyes, chuckling. "You need some serious help, _nal__í__. _I, unlike you, have a fairly high tolerance for alcohol. I grew up drinking table wine, after all. I require much, much more to end up a sodding mess like you are now."

Link found that his arms had wound themselves around Sheik's neck as the older boy had been speaking. Well, fancy that? However had that happened? "I'm not a mess," he insisted.

"Your inhibitions are," Sheik pointed out, and damn him! Damn him and his damn smarts, using his damn big words while Link was in an inebriated state! So not fair!

"Lucky for you, they're all but gone," Link whispered against Sheik's lips, stretched up on his toes to reach him. Sheik's hand came up to cup his cheek, and he let their lips brush together with a warm, dry, satisfying effect.

The world around them was so blisteringly cold, making Link want to wrap himself up in the warmth radiating from Sheik. Link heard Sheik sniff several times, as if he were trying to laugh. Sheik pulled his lips away, snickering itno Link's shoulder. "Link, I can't, I-," He broke off into a fit of muffled laughter as he put his hand in front of his mouth, leaning his head back against the tree.

Link glowered up at him. "Why are you laughing at me when I'm trying to kiss you?"

Sheik's eyes gleamed, crinkling in the corners. "For exactly that reason, Link. You're being sloppy, and _incredibly_ forward because you're drunk, and it's... it's funny, is all." His eyes were shining with mirth.

"Conceded, blubbering idiot..." Link muttered, pulling his arms back and crossing them over his chest in indignation. Sheik just looked at him with this really amused, _really_ irritating smirk.

"Would you mind coming back over here?" The Sheikah said quietly, voice going all low and dark as he beckoned.

Slightly self-conscious now, Link walked back into Sheik's arm, letting himself be held and holding him in return. Their lips had just met for a second time when they heard the sound of wild laughter, approaching from the campsite.

"What's that?" Link whispered.

"Some other drunken couple," Sheik whispered back, his neck stretching up as he peered over Link's head into the dark woods.

They heard some chuckling coming from the left of them, and then a voice that said, "Dav, you little..." More laughter. "Stop!"

A soft peal of giggling. "No. Make me."

Link's face fell against Sheik's chest. He could _feel_ his cheeks burning. "Oh goddesses, _no_..."

All he heard from Sheik was more muffled laughter. Then he was being pushed up and pulled away, back towards the bonfire. "I think we better leave them alone, if you know what I mean," Sheik murmured.

"But _I_ want to be alone right now, too!" Link wined, unaware in his drunken state of all the people around them in the camp, watching them. "With _you_, you stupid sand devil!" Probably ten heads lifted to stare at them in amusement or surprise as they passed through.

"Yes, _fine_, you drunken lout! We'll be alone, but let's go be alone on the _other_ side of the camp so we don't bump into Luca while he's shagging your brother, who I've noticed holds his alcohol just about as well as you do."

"_Ohhhhhhh_," Link breathed, everything making so much more sense now. And then what Sheik said clicked in his mind. He wrinkled his nose. "_Eeeew_!"

"Yes, exactly," Sheik chuckled. "You'll thank me when they don't roll into our feet."

"_Eeeeeeew! _Sheik, stop! I don't want to think about that, he's my _brother_!"

"Dear goddesses," he heard Sheik mutter lightheartedly. "I can't believe I'm having a conversation like this in the middle of a fucking war. It's a bloody wonder."

"Ah!" Link squeaked in shock. "You said fuck!"

* * *

"So I've just heard word from a messenger that a contingent of Terminan soldiers are being sent with us back up into Hyrule. They're a day behind us," Gilan called in Sheikahn, riding up next to Fen. "I sent back word with him that we will wait outside of Castle Town with the rest of our people until they catch up to us before confronting the King."

"Good." Fen nodded thanks to him. "How many is King Balistrade sending us?"

"Five hundred soldiers."

"That's rather generous," Fen observed.

"It is my opinion that he wishes to create an... impression on Nohansen, to discourage any fighting."

"That's a wise assumption," Fen agreed, looking off into space. "No one wants to fight this out. Not even the Hylians; they're just afraid, and lashing out because of it."

"Is something distracting you, Fen-_par__í_?"

"Hmm?" Fen looked over at Gilan, reluctantly pulling away from his daydreaming. "Oh, no. Just dreaming of home, I guess."

Gilan gave him a tight, but assuring smile. "A bit more favorable than discussing this shit of a war, isn't it? Soon, _mala_. We will be there again soon."

Fen smiled back, still a little lost inside his own head. He hoped they were doing the right thing as a people. They'd been enduring their servitude to the Hylians for generations, but... The Sheikah Rebels; the ones from Termina, whom the Hylians had murdered in cold blood... Fen knew as well as anyone that that had been the last straw. They would be the worst kind of cowards if they ignored something like that. He was very, very confident that they were going to war for the right reasons.

"Where is your son?" he asked, wishing to clear his mind some more.

"Somewhere in the back, irritating _yours_," Gilan laughed aloud, and Fen found himself rather surprised. Gilan was one of Fen's oldest friends, but he was what one might call an _old-fashioned_ Sheikah. That's not to say he was narrow-minded, he was just very set in his ways, and not very open to change; yet he refered to Sheik as Fen's _son. _He supposed that that was technically true, now that the boy's real parents had passed on. Sheik was his _fateson_, after all. His mother had bestowed that title and honor on Fen before she had left, placing her babe in his arms. Now that they were gone, Sheik _was, _by their laws_, _his son.

"A few more days and we will be to Castle Town," Gilan continued, nudging his horse to keep up with Fen's. "It seems this is all finally coming to an end, m_ala_."

"Let us hope so," Fen agreed.

* * *

**AN: I know I've used the term '**_**fateson' **_**a couple of times. Just to clarify, I meant this term to be the same thing as 'godson'. Of course, that term sounded a bit odd considering the context of this story, seeing as how their whole thing in Hyrule is the three goddesses, and not a monotheistic 'god.' But at the same time, 'goddessson' just sounded too awkward, so I just settled on 'fateson.' It has a nice Sheikah-y ring to it. I just wanted to make sure the meaning behind that created word was clear.**

**Translations:**

'_**Fara lune I languia louatep, Tor**_**.' = You're a beautiful idiot, Tor.'**

'_**Fara graythea hai**_**.' = 'You adore me.'**

**Also, I have the gist of my next fic in mind! It will be a long one, just like this, so if you're interested stay tuned for the details. If you enjoyed this one, you will enjoy what I have in mind. And yes, it too will be a Shink story. :D I'm exciiiited! Guys, we are very close to the end of this story. Maybe five more chapters, tops!**


	36. Searching

**So this is a splinter chapter that I chopped off the beginning of the next one because I felt they didn't go together too well, and I suppose you'll see why when you've read them both. Anyways, it's pretty short, but I'll be uploading the next one in another hour or so, as soon as I get it edited. Enjoy! And make sure your brain is prepared for the confusing mess that is Duncan's ranting.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Searching**

Duncan had never been in a better mood. The sun was shining high in the cloudless sky, and it was warm, despite the chilly winter air. He'd been in this city only once before; years ago, when he'd first scouted it out and learned its geography, knowing somewhere inside him that he'd need to return to it someday. What was quite a pleasant surprise though, was that he had never expected he'd be returning with a friend.

Addica was bouncing along happily beside him on the crowded street, holding onto Duncan's hand with a surprisingly strong grip. For even though the boy was happy most days, he never strayed far away from Duncan's side. The child was happy today, but timid. They had just arrived in the city that very same morning, and everything he was seeing was new to his young eyes. Duncan knew for a fact that the boy had been born out there in the woods, in the very early stages of when that rebel Sheikah group was forming. He'd never known anything like this; a city, with tall walls and bright, colorful things. Bloody hell, he'd never known anything like _Clock_ _Town_, and that place was a speck of dust on the world, so small you could barely call it a town.

Duncan had just purchased Addica a picture book from a dealer, one that he'd been surprised to find was written in Sheikahn. Addica was positively beaming as they walked away with it, clutching the small book to his chest like it was the most precious thing in the world. Duncan was currently scanning the streets for an inn or pub where they could stop in for some lunch so they little guy could conquer a few pages of the thin tome. Because of course, like the town, he'd probably never seen anything like the colorful, hand-illustrated pages of his little book.

"Ah, here we are!" Duncan said loudly, cutting through the crowd and opening up the door of a small little pub set into the side of the street, almost hidden away.

When they entered, the atmosphere, unlike the building's facade, was bright and cheerful. There were pots of wildflowers sitting on every table, and a great deal of windows set into the back wall. "Ah, madam!" Duncan called, letting go of Addica's hand and strutting up to the counter, where he grinned at the fairly young woman behind the counter, giving her his best lady-killing smile.

She smiled back at him, though she seemed a little wise to his attempt at charming her, so Duncan killed his attempt then and there. He knew when there wasn't going to be a connection of that sort with someone, which was perfectly alright with him. That day, it simply meant that this woman couldn't have been her. Because when he found her here in this city, he _would_ feel a connection. He had _seen _it.

"Your son?" she asked, nodding to little Addica, who had climbed up and seated himself on one of the chairs, opening his book with a wonder in his eyes that Duncan could spot from right where he was standing.

"No, no he isn't," he answered. "I'm looking after him for a very dear friend of mine."

"I don't think I've ever seen a child sweeter than him," the woman said softly, taking a rag out of the pocket of her apron and wiping down the counter with it as they talked.

"Ah!" Duncan exclaimed with delight, turning back to Addica. He spoke in Sheikahn. "Do you hear that, little man? She thinks you're the cutest thing she's ever seen!"

Addica responded by glancing up at him long enough to stick his tongue out before going back to his book.

"That's the strangest language I've ever heard," the woman murmured.

"A lot of extremes for you today, aren't there?" Duncan replied slyly. "Sweetest child, strangest language. May I take a shot at most bizarre question?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And what's that?"

Duncan flashed a grin. "How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?"

She laughed heartily. "Aye, and there you have it. Three extremes in one go."

"A very extreme question," Duncan agreed. "I must admit I'd been searching for the answer for years. I hadn't been able to come across any woodchucks who were willing to aid in my study, you see, which I'm sure you could guess made things all the more difficult. They're frightfully disagreeable animals, woodchucks are. But around a year ago, the answer occurred to me. It's ridiculously simple. You see, the question asks what amount of wood a woodchuck _would _chuck, not _could_ chuck, in the event that it could in fact chuck wood. I therefore came to the conclusion that because woodchucks do _not_ chuck wood, even if they _could_ chuck wood, they still would _not_ chuck any wood at all, because they _would_ choose _not_ to. However, I am sadly still looking for the answer as to how much wood they _could_ chuck if they _could_ chuck wood, if the choice of whether or not _to_ chuck wood hadn't been entered into the equation at all, if you took the free will out if the situation. But like I said, no woodchucks were willing to help me at all. Isn't that rude of them? It's life's greatest mystery, if you ask me, madam."

She just stared at him, blinking several times as she tried to catch up with what he'd said. She soon gave up however, shaking her head sadly. "You're the oddest man I've ever met."

"Aha!" Duncan shot a finger into the air in triumph. "That's four extremes! Sweetest, strangest, most bizarre, and oddest. I daresay I deserve some sort of prize for shattering your entire world like that."

The woman smiled as Duncan looked her directly in the eye, trying to see anything about her he could. As it turned out, she _did_ like Duncan, despite her initial suspicion of him; but this woman still wasn't _her, _and Duncan could see many, many reasons why_. _The first of which being that she didn't have the appropriate shape of ears.

"How about the kid eats free?" She asked with a wink.

"That sounds very fair, madam. Thank you."

As Duncan left the counter to take a seat beside Addica, he couldn't help but smile. He was feeling good about himself. Everything seemed to be falling into place with how he'd seen it happen in his head all those years ago. Of course, little things were different. He'd never gone on a rant about woodchucks, and Addica hadn't been with him; but more or less, everything was comfortably the same.

"So, Addica, read me your book," he instructed, content to pass an hour or so this way as they waited for their food and ate. Addica struggled over some words, but overall he was quite a good reader. It was remarkable how bright he was for his age.

The story was about a dragon that lived in a cave near a village. All the people in the village thought he was a fearsome and dangerous dragon, and many thought they should kill it, while others thought it should be enslaved. Everyone in the village was frightened of the dragon, apart from one little boy who wasn't afraid at all. He was curious, and thought they could learn much from the dragon. A few days before this boy's birthday, his mother asked whom he wanted to invite to his party. The little boy said he wanted to invite the dragon. His mother thought this was a joke; after all, who would want a fearsome, dangerous dragon at a birthday party? But the little boy was true to his word, and on the day before his birthday, he snuck out of his house and went to the cave to invite the dragon. When he asked, the dragon was so happy that he cried great, big tears that turned into a mighty river. The boy and his dragon floated down the river back towards his house, and no one in the village ever feared the dragon again.

The children's story left much to ponder in Duncan's mind. It seemed almost... appropriate for the situation they were all finding themselves in. The hatred, the mistrust, and finally the salvation. As far as Duncan knew, his friends in Hyrule had yet to reach the salvation part of their story.

"Are you ready to go, little one?" Duncan asked, picking up the book and stowing it away in his pack. Addica nodded at him sleepily, so instead of making him walk, Duncan picked him up and let the child sleep against his shoulder as he continued his search around the city.

* * *

The sun was sinking low in the sky, and Duncan was talking to a man selling goats—whilst Addica singled one out and became friends with it—when he finally, _finally_ spotted her. He had been beginning to worry he wouldn't after all, because the sun was near to setting, and the streets were quieting; but sure enough, it was her! As soon as she walked past and Duncan looked at her, he just _knew_!

"Madam!" he called, scooping Addica up right in the middle of his conversation with the goats and took off after her. "Excuse me, madam!" She looked around before turning to him; and everything about her, _everything_, was as he had seen it. She had dark, dark brown hair, hanging in a loose ponytail over her shoulder, revealing ears that came to dainty points. Her eyes were a crystal clear shade of blue. She was wearing a long green dress that hugged her frame gently, and her features... well, Duncan had seen them before, mirrored in Brock's other children.

"Sir?" she asked, looking around her, unsure and maybe a bit frightened of him.

"Oh, no!" He put a hand out, touching her shoulder. "Don't be a bit afraid of me, my dear. I realize I come off rather strange at first, but I just take a little getting used to, is all. And… this is all going to sound terribly odd to you, but... I've been looking for you! I have!"

"_Najee_!" Addica squeaked happily, reaching out to her, something that was unusual for him to do with strangers.

Duncan grinned. "Oh, yes, how could I have forgotten? Addica's been helping me too, of course."

She wore a gracious smile on her face, despite her obvious confusion. "I'm really, really very sorry, sir, but... do I… know you at all? If I do, I can't remember exactly from where." She gave a little shrug, biting her lip past a smile, and dear goddesses, Duncan was already in love with the girl.

"No, we don't know each other," he answered honestly, cocking his head to the side as he took her in. "But we have to get to know each other right away, Haera, because you need to come with me in about..." Duncan squinted, leaning closer and peering into her eyes. "About... two weeks."

"I do?" she asked, brow pulled together in confusion. "How do you know my name?

"Yes you do, give or take a few days," Duncan murmured, turning to look at Addica as he ignored the girl's second question. "Are you hungry, goat boy?" he asked in Sheikahn. The child nodded his head vigorously.

"Right, then how about dinner?" he asked, looking at her again. "Are _you_ hungry, my dear? You haven't anywhere to be, have you?"

"Well, no, I-I don't, but—"

"Excellent!" Duncan interrupted, flashing one of his lady-killing grins. He reached forward and gently took her dainty hand, pulling her along as he took off at a comfortable pace. "You must come with me, then. I know a good place, lots of flowers. The owner and I bonded over woodchucks. You'll love it!"

* * *

**Like I said, next chapter will be up in roughly one hour. You lucky little ducks, two chapters in one day! Hope you enjoyed this one!**


	37. Stolen

**As promised, here it is. Trigger warnings for this chapter that I mentioned in the very beginning. I tried to handle it as well as I could, so here you are.**

**********Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Stolen**

"Go back to the desert where you belong, filthy curs!"

This and many other bellowed insults like it was what greeted the small contingent of Sheikah as they finally, after the weeks they'd been travelling, came upon Castle Town.

The first time the grand city had come into view, it was a strange site for all of them. The dark-stoned castle stuck out from the green land around it like a sword thrust into the ground, and the massive city sprawled around it on all sides. The sparkling river flowing before the city acted as just another barrier between them and the Sheikahs' freedom. Link thought to himself that the city of Castle Town had never looked so imposing. The city had always, in his mind, been a bit of a prison. When he'd lived there, he'd not been allowed to leave the city walls, and the one time he'd ventured outside them, he'd paid for it dearly.

But none of the Sheikah had been expecting the wall of civilians standing in a receiving line as they arrived, hurling insults and nasty words at them. Link was honestly surprised that the king was allowing this. If any of the men turned their shouting into violence, it could spark a fight. With civilians. The Sheikah would be accused for attacking them, and then there really _would_ be a battle. Besides that, all the commotion was making the horses nervous, and many of them were stamping their feet and refusing to go any further. Link had handed off Epona to someone else about an hour ago, but now he found himself fearful for her. She had always been a little too spirited for her own good.

One thing Link was thankful for at that moment was his yellow hair, for it allowed him to more or less blend in with the rest of the contingent. They were only a few hundred feet away from where the rest of the Sheikah were camped, just to the east of the city. Neither Luca nor Davin could enjoy the same assurance as he; however, as they both sported dark, almost black hair. They had received a blessing from Fen to come in a few hours behind them and stay in the city. Everyone understood their reason for wanting it that way. The two supported the Sheikah, yes, but the battle—if there was to be one—wasn't theirs to fight. Sheik had pleaded with Link to go with them, but he had refused. His place was beside the person he loved, and with the people who had changed so much of his life for the better.

Sheik had him close to him now; bearing him against his side as the angry Hylians jeered and kicked dirt in their faces. Link was grateful the snow had melted, so that it was only dirt being stirred up into the air. Through it all, each and every one of the Sheikah marching in kept their heads held high, refusing to make eye contact with any of the aggressors.

But if Link were to say he wasn't afraid, he would be lying.

Sheik seemed to notice his anxiousness, for he pulled him closer, nestling Link safely under his arm, his traveling cloak going around both of them. "It'll be alright, _nal__í_, he murmured. "They will not dare touch us."

"How can you be sure?" Link murmured back, casting an unsure glance up at his face.

"Because if any of them so much as touches us, it will start a battle. They know that. I do not think any of them will be so foolish."

"But they're looking at us like they're going to tear our heads off. Who's to say they won't? They haven't exactly shown any perfect foresight in the past."

"Common sense, I hope," Sheik replied. "Or perhaps they're angry to see you among us, if any of the have recognized you for what you are. It must look as if you have betrayed them, after all."

"But they are wrong. I am ashamed to call myself the same race."

"They don't think that. To them, we are subordinates who are not keeping in our own place."

"Had any of them been through what your people have in the last few months, let alone the last few _centuries_, perhaps they would be more respectful," Link muttered.

"Perhaps," Sheik agreed, and Link left it at that.

As they neared the bigger cluster of Sheikah, a large group of Hylian solders rode out of the city and dissipated the Hylian civilians, herding them back inside the gate. A silent but noticeable sigh of relief went up from the entire group as several of their own kind rode out from the clustered camp to greet them. "Kyla-_n__ä__ba_," Sheik whispered in his ear, "And Osidian-_ n__ä__ba_, and some of the warriors," he explained.

"Will they be alright with me here?" Link asked in a hesitant voice, glancing up at Sheik's stoic face again, seeking some form of assurance.

"They will when they learn why," Sheik answered simply, leading him on until the Sheikah riding out to greet them stopped their mounts at the front of the group. Several Sheikahn words were exchanged between the two clan chiefs and Fen, who had been the leader of their small group.

"What are they saying?" Link whispered, but Sheik merely shook his head, his crimson eyes not leaving the exchange of words happening at the front. Link got the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be speaking while those at the front were.

After several minutes, and what seemed out of nowhere, they all began moving again towards the camp. Link sighed in relief. The moment had seemed oddly tense, he thought, as he fell in step again beside Sheik. They were no longer touching—the threat of the Hylians having gone now—but Link was content with being apart for now. He could feel Sheik's strength and resolve beside him, and that was enough. More than enough.

When they entered into the camp, the entire group of Sheikah dissipated, though Fen and Torren's father, Gilan, followed the two clan chiefs that had rode out to greet them further into the camp. Sheik took his hand and silently led him away from all the others, over to where a few Sheikah were sitting around a fire.

"What are we doing?" Link asked, sitting down beside Sheik, who was rubbing his left shoulder again with a look of discomfort on his face.

"The chiefs will gather with Fen and Gilan, and then I suspect once the entire story of our journey is told, they will call you to them. We might as well rest until then."

"Will they kick me out?" Link asked with a touch of fear.

Sheik turned to look at him, his face and entire stance, really, spoke of a weariness that someone of his age should not have to feel. "I do not think so, Link, but if they do, I will follow after you. You'll not ever be alone, I swear it."

The few Sheikah sitting around the fire had all turned their heads to watch the two of them as they talked. Link had no idea whether or not they could understand what Sheik and he were saying, but they all looked slightly suspicious. "_Naj __ö__s i Hylian_?" One of them spoke up.

Sheik's eyes lifted dangerously to meet the one who had spoken. His lightheartedness of a few days ago had all but vanished as the weight of what may very well happen had begun to settle in on his shoulders. "_Naj __ö__s menian lo hai, att__í__ tife forth lohalia__ü__t_."

The Sheikah around the fire looked at each other without conviction in regard to whatever Sheik had said, but the one who had spoken out nodded to him, and they all fell silent once again. Still, Sheik grabbed Link's arm and pulled him closer, his eyes dark and predatory. Link had never, ever felt so small.

Roughly ten minutes later, a voice called out to them from behind. "Sheik." They both turned to see Torren standing there, his usual childish and spunky manner completely gone, replaced with a hollow-eyed, serious conviction, not unlike Sheik; not unlike every other Sheikah in the camp. Sheik watched his best friend with unsure eyes. Everything was unsure now, and although they, as a people, seemed to stand in a good position over the Hylians, the world just seemed darker. "_Ganor Link_," Torren said softly, barely managing to crack a smile.

Sheik nodded and quietly rose from the ground, grabbing Link's hand and towing him along behind as he followed Torren. Tor brought them to a large tent, gesturing for them to enter.

Without pausing, Sheik pulled Link inside, and before Link could blink an eye, he was standing before nine Sheikah, all who were staring down at him as if he were the greatest—and most troubling—mystery they had ever encountered.

"Sheik?" Fen spoke up from the edge of the tent. Link looked over at him. He was standing with Gilan, looking somber. Fen nodded to Sheik, and without any hesitation, Sheik stepped forward, leaving Link behind him as he faced the clan chiefs.

Link's eyes fell on Fen as Sheik began speaking in an urgent voice. Link couldn't even focus on the way Sheik's lips and tongue were forming those impossible-sounding words, he was so worried. But Fen smiled softly at him, nodding his head, and a wave of relief surged through Link, so much that he sagged with the reassurance.

They all talked for a few minutes more as he stood there, only able to pick out a few words from the conversation, '_nal__í_' being among them.

After the talking was done, they let Sheik and him leave the tent without trouble. Sheik whispered to him they he could stay, and that they had believed all that Sheik had told them, but the encounter still left Link with a funny feeling.

* * *

_"Link?" _

_Link glanced up from his storybook with an irritated sniff. He could never do anything he liked to do with this goddesses-darned family of his. If it wasn't his mother calling him for chores, it was his father shouting at him for sitting around and reading all day. They would never just leave him be to enjoy what he loved doing. _

_"Link, baby, where are you?!" It was his mother. What on earth could be so wrong? Link sat up off the bed. _

_"What, mom? I'm in here!" Link set his book down on the bed, spine up, feeling uneasy, and not being able to explain to himself why. _

_Link's mother burst in through the door of their tiny room, her face stained with tears. "Mom?" he asked quietly, spooked by her frantic state._

_"Link, I want you to listen to me and do exactly as I say. You are _not_ to argue with me, am I understood?" she said, her voice strong despite her shaken, fearful state._

_Link's brow knitted together on his forehead. What was going on? Had he done something wrong? "Mom?" _

_"Shhh!" She hissed, grabbing his shirt and forcefully pulling him off the bed. "You get under there right now, and you don't come out for anybody, am I understood? Don't you even make a noise." She pulled him down until they were both on their knees, and then she was shoving him underneath the bed, casting fearful glances out the window above the bed the entire time. Her rough handling almost _hurt_, but Link was so surprised, so... so baffled by what was suddenly going on inside his tiny room, in his tiny life, that he just let it all happen blindly, not making a fuss. His mother stood up. He knew she had to have gone bonkers. Perhaps she'd finally let the rumors of the men from outside of Hyrule get to her. They'd heard of other villages being ripped apart, but Link's father had told them all that this was their home and that they weren't leaving for a bunch of brutes. Half the village had gone, so Link knew something had must be happening in the forest, but he hadn't given it much thought, because he—_

_Out of nowhere, there were heavy footsteps in the room. Link's mouth snapped shut from whatever protest he'd been about to make. Out from under the bed, he could see many pairs of feet enter the room. Dirty feet. Big, heavy boots. If Link had of come storming into the house like that, tracking mud everywhere, his father would have smacked him right upside the back of the head. _

_Link held his breath, slamming his hands over his ears so that he couldn't hear the words being spoken by the men who had come into their house. Just the sound of their voices frightened him. He didn't want to hear whatever words they were uttering. All he heard was their low pitched aggression, and his mother's high pitched fear._

_And then there was a heavy weight above him on the bed, and his mother's feet disappeared from his view. Link looked down at the floor immediately, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his hands tighter over his ears. He wasn't there, he wasn't hiding under that bed; he was out in the forest, running through the trees, pretending he was on some great adventure—_

_The bottom of the mattress sagged down to touch the top of his head, and he began to hear screaming. The book he had been reading only moments before dropped to the floor, and Link prayed that none of the men would bend over to pick it up, because then they would see him._

_No, no, no screaming, because he was running through leaf-dappled sunlight, and everything was new, and fresh. It was the first day of summer, his favorite day of the year, and later, he and Jasten and Davin would probably go swimming down in the creek, once they finished their work, and—_

_The bed actually _moved _on the floor, skidding several inches to the right. Link held his breath and wriggled with it, praying they hadn't seen any flash of his clothing. He still didn't even really understand what was going on. Where was his father to put a stop to all this? Another shrill scream pierced his ears, a scream that could have only belonged to his mom. Link buried his head into the floor again, recessing back into his own world, trying not to hear everything that was going on. He definitely wasn't hearing any of the screaming, or whimpering, or grunting, or the raucous laughter coming from the other side of the room. _

_No, he was off and away, in some faraway place, sword fighting, and finding treasure, and making friends, and, and..._

_Link's picked his head back up. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had recessed into his mind, but he couldn't hear anything. He looked up, towards the side of the bed where his mother had stuffed him under. Link swallowed, staring. His mother's hand, calloused and worn down from all the hard work she'd done in her life, was hanging from the side of the bed, wrist limp and... Just… hanging there. _

_Slowly, Link wriggled out from under the bed, his mother's cold fingers grazing the top of his head as he passed under her hand. He rolled over, bracing himself up on his elbows as he stared at the bed where his brothers and he had slept for as long as he could remember. _

_Link wasn't stupid. He knew what had happened. _

_He stood up, leaning over the bed and doing his best to lift his mother off of the rumpled covers. He tried his hardest to keep her off the ground, but even her slight weight was too much for him, and he went staggering backwards, her body landing over his with a soft thud. _

_Completely scared out of his wits, Link struggled out from under her, scooting away from her body as fast as he could, breathing hard and just staring. Because his life was over. There, on the ground, his _mother_, the very light of his life, lying there, face down and lifeless, her skirts rumpled up around her hips. _

_He didn't realize he was crying until fat, heavy tears fell on the wood before him. He crawled over to her, pulling her skirts back down around her and using his shaking fingers to close her pretty blue eyes._

_He lifted her shoulders into his lap, hugging her waist, and just wept for what felt like hours, but could only have been minutes._

_He wasn't even half aware of his surroundings when his father came blasting into the room and saw him there, clutching onto his mom like an infant. He cried harder when he was lifted away and carried out of the room. For the first time in his life, he cradled himself into his father's chest, bawling like his world had ended. And it had, it had completely ended. It was—_

Link picked his head up off the rough mat that was substituting for a pillow. Where was—? They had fallen asleep together, snuggled up tight against the winter night, but now there was no arm thrown over him. He was alone, and chilly.

"Sheik?" he said blearily, wiping the sleep from his eyes. It was still pitch black in the tent. He couldn't see a thing. But he could hear things. Link cocked his head as sounds and disturbances came from outside the canvas walls. There was shouting, and banging... and things just didn't sound right. They didn't _feel_ right.

"Sheik?" he called again, louder this time. His heart was already beating fast from his nightmare, but he couldn't feel Sheik, and he couldn't see him, and something was _definitely_ wrong. He was starting to feel frantic. "Sheik!"

"Shh, Link! I'm here!" Sheik's voice came from near the entrance, where he was crouched in front of the flap, looking out.

"What's going on?" Link whispered, sitting up.

Sheik glanced back at him for a swift second, his face plastered with concentration. "The camp's been attacked." He turned back to watch the outside.

Link gasped. "The soldiers?"

Link could barely see Sheik shake his head in the moonlight leaking through the cracked tent flap. He could just spot some shadows and shapes running by in the darkness in front of their tent, bellowing and screaming and roaring up what was now becoming a continuation of his nightmare. "No, it's some sort of guerilla force. I have no idea how many of them there are. I woke up when I heard a scream, and then the camp just exploded."

"Well—well, come away from the entrance!" Link whispered, beckoning to Sheik. "They'll see you!"

"Link," Sheik said.

Panic rose inside of him. "No, Sheik, you _can't_ fight them! You're not strong enough!"

"Link," Sheik repeated, turning around and crawling back over to him. "I want you to do exactly as I say, alright? And I don't want you to argue with me. Just listen. This is for your safety."

The words sounded sickeningly familiar to Link. "Sheik?" he whispered, fear threatening to break him.

"Hey," Sheik said gently, using his hand to cradle the back of Link's head, kissing him briefly. "It's alright." The calm resolve in his voice was scaring Link. He couldn't see his expression in the darkness, but his eyes were glassy. "Keep in here, alright? I don't want you to make a single noise, and I don't want you to come out there looking for me."

"Sheik, no, you're not going—"

"Shhh," Sheik whispered. "Just... hide under the blankets, alright? Don't come out for anyone."

Link grabbed at Sheik's clothes as he began to pull away. "Sheik, _no! _You're going to get hurt! You're not like them anymore, you can't fight like you used to! You will someday, but not today! You _can't_!"

"Link, stop it!" Sheik hissed, prying Link's hands away and pushing him back. "Please, for me, don't argue. Just hide."

Link watched helplessly, not knowing what to do, as Sheik pulled a small silver knife out of his belt and disappeared through the tent flaps without even a look back.

Link began to pull the covers over his head like Sheik had said, but then he stopped. No. No, he wasn't about to let this happen again.

He was done being a coward.

Link flipped off the blankets and pulled his Sheikahn-made cloak tight around him, creeping to the entrance of the tent. He couldn't see anything outside. All the noises and shouts were coming from a few rows of tents over. Link ran out, grabbing the knife from his pack that Sheik had given him so long ago. He followed the line of tents in the direction he thought Sheik had gone. Ahead of him, he could see shadows running across the grassy area where one of the fire pits lay. "I saw one running around over this way!" someone ahead shouted.

"Come on!" hissed another. Link thought there were maybe three of them up ahead.

"Wait!" another said, and the shadow of him turned to face in Link's direction. Link froze.

"That way is emptied!" one cried impatiently, and his shadow tugged on the other one, pulling him away. "I saw something move over here!"

They all ran off, and before more than a couple seconds had gone by, Link heard shouting from their direction. He moved towards them, rounding the corner near the fire pit, following in their footsteps.

There were scuffles ahead, a fight breaking out. "Pin him down!" One of the men ordered the others.

"Got 'im! Damn fucking goddesses, hold still!"

"He's a cripple, you goddesses-damned idiot! He can't be that hard to hold down!"

"I'm going to teach him a lesson! Hand me that knife!"

Through all this, Link could hear the sounds of Sheik struggling and shouting Sheikahn curses at them. Link had tried to tell him that he wasn't ready to fight like he used to, but he hadn't been willing to listen—

Sheik started screaming. Not angry screams, but pained, anguished screams.

Link didn't give himself time to think. He shot out ahead towards the group of shadows that he could barely see. They all turned towards him, but none of them had any time to react as Link threw himself over one, knocking him off of his feet. He lashed out with his small silver knife, screaming at the top of his lungs, because _how dare they_?!

The man beneath him managed to throw him off after Link had cut him, but the stupid coward flew off running, abandoning his companions instead of turning back and attacking Link. Link didn't care; he didn't have time to sneer at the man's cowardly actions. A pair of strong arms ripped him off of the ground and turned him over, big hands going around his throat. Link struggled against him, kicking out with his knee right into the man's stomach, and when that disarmed him, he kicked him again in his groin. The second man collapsed over to the side, incapacitated.

That left only one man still holding down Sheik. Link turned and threw himself at this one as well, knocking him off balance and into the grass. Link couldn't see past the scuffle he was in, but he hoped Sheik had gotten up.

The large man he was fighting managed to knock Link's knife away, but it hardly mattered. Link had other means. He clamped his teeth down hard around the man's shoulder, biting down like a viper, kicking and scratching and punching wherever he could get purchase. A hand squeezed his shoulder, pulling at him. Link thought it was the man he had just kicked in the groin, so he bit down harder and kicked out behind him.

"Link!" The hand was under his arm now, pulling at him. And with that touch from behind, Link understood. He released his hold on the man and went stumbling back into the grass, landing on his side. Sheik moved past him and bent over the man. Link saw a glint of silver in his hand. He wasn't quite sure what Sheik was doing, but there was a jerk of his arm, and then the man screamed, pushing past Sheik and running away into the night, back towards the city. His companion followed directly after him.

Sheik's figure rose slowly and turned towards him. Link felt very small, crumpled and sore on the ground with Sheik approaching him, so tall and imposing.

Link blinked away his fearful tears, worried that Sheik would be angry with him for not listening. "Sh-Sheik," he whimpered, completely shaken. "I'm sorry! I know you said to—but I couldn't! It all happened like that before, with everything you said. With everything _she_ said, and I couldn't let you go without—"

Link crouched down next to him and pulled him into a one-armed hug, pressing their chests together. "Shh," he whispered, kissing Link's cheek. "Link, _lalu_, you just saved my life. You have nothing to be sorry for." He was laughing, cuddling Link's face to his with his one hand, touching their foreheads. "_Nothing_," he repeated. "Thank you."

"What's going on around here?" Link sniffled, wiping at his eyes. "What happened?"

"From what I can tell, a bunch of men snuck out of the city and invaded the camp. I'm not sure if anyone's hurt or not, although I don't see how they couldn't be. They would have had to get the jump on the sentries, and quietly, too, otherwise they would have woken everyone up. I'm honestly surprised the horses didn't make any noise."

"They woke _you_ up," Link replied.

"I only woke when I heard screaming," Sheik answered, lifting his head from Link's and looking around. "We need to find Fen, or at least Torren. I need to make sure they're both safe. Come on." He stood, pulling on Link's arm.

"Sheik," Link pulled back once he was on his feet, peering at the older boy. He wiped a hand over a shallow cut on his neck, his hand coming away red. "You're bleeding."

"I know," Sheik replied solemnly. "They tried to cut my throat before you came along."

Link didn't even have time to be thankful that he'd made the right decision in following Sheik as was pulled along. It was clear that Sheik was in a state of movement. They travelled along in the darkness to where the clamor of fighting had finally died down. The camp was growing quiet again.

Several dark figures rushed past them, nearly knocking them flat onto their backs. The figures didn't stop as they high-tailed it out of the camp, no doubt heading back to the city. Sheik cursed loudly at them and pulled Link along further. \

They turned a corner along a line of tents, revealing a mass of Sheikah standing in the clearing between tents. This was where it had begun; Link just had a feeling from the sheer amount of people gathered here.

"Fen?" Sheik called out, his voice almost frantic. His grip on Link's hand tightened painfully, but Link didn't care. He squeezed back. "Fen!" Sheik cried, entering into the thick mass of Sheikah. None of them seemed to be moving, aside from those who rushed in to join the mass.

"Sheik?" Link looked up and could just make out the features of Fen as he ran to them, pulling Sheik into a rough hug, nearly lifting him off the ground. "Sheik, _loka twi garnahlias thos fara lune nomat_."

"Fen, is anyone hurt?" Sheik asked.

Fen only shook his head. "I do not know. I myself was fighting until now, when I ran here. I've only just arrived." He turned to look down at Link, and before Link could know what had happened, he was wrapped up in Fen's arms, just as Sheik had been a moment ago. "I am glad also that you are not harmed, Link. You are my family now, just as Sheik is. I could not bear to see harm come to either one of you."

Link could barely stutter out a reply. "Th—thank you."

Fen nodded before turning and making his way into the crowd, shouting at the top of his lungs. Fen had been given command of the contingent that went to Termina, so he now commanded a certain authority over the others, even if he bore no specific title.

"I don't know what to do," Sheik said helplessly. Link looked up at him. It was true, Sheik had never before looked like he did know. Link had seen him angry, and he had seen him protective, and sad, but there were no words for the way he looked now.

"I don't think anyone does," Link answered very quietly.

After a few more minutes, as more and more of the camp started arriving, wails of anguish erupted into the night.

"Oh no..." Link whispered, trying to stretch up on his toes to see into the mass of Sheikah as the first flecks of a red dawn lit up the sky.

"Goddesses, no." Sheik hung his head next to him.

* * *

An hour later, and the sky was nearly all the way light. Link found himself beside Sheik, wrapped up in each other's cloaks, and huddled against the chill near a fire. He must have dozed off. Many other Sheikah ringed the fire around them, all silent. The entire camp was silent, apart from the occasional scream of pain or loud wail that carried over to them from the other side of the camp. Link knew that some had died; everyone knew it. So much wrong and unfairness happened in the world; Link had learned that more than a year ago when his life had been ripped out of his hands. Ever since that day, life just kept beating him down. The only brightness he'd been shown had been meeting Sheik and starting to build a life with him; but that too had been stolen from him, by the greedy hands of this bloody war. It just kept taking and taking.

"Sheik." Everyone at the fire turned to look up at the approaching figure of Fen. The morning was rather misty, and a fog lay heavy on the ground; Link couldn't clearly make out his figure until he was standing only five feet away.

"Fen?" Sheik whispered back, his face held close to Link's.

"Come," he said simply, beckoning to him.

Link could practically feel the fear and tension rolling off of Sheik's body as he rose, pulling Link along beside him as he followed in Fen's silent footsteps. Sheik hadn't let go of Link's hand yet. There was no speaking as Fen led them through the camp, back to the area where, before dawn had come, nearly half the camp had been gathered. The starting point of all this. The epicenter.

They had to push past an enormous cluster of Sheikah who were crowded around the entrance to the same large tent that Link had been brought to just yesterday, where all the clan leaders had stood to judge him. As they pushed through the entrance, the atmosphere became ten times heavier. Link could feel it dragging on his limbs, trying to pull him down; he had to rely on Sheik's hand holding his to keep him moving. Otherwise he probably would have fallen to the ground right then and given himself over to weeping.

There were even more Sheikah inside the entrance to the tent. Link couldn't remember the canvas structure being this big. It had seemed small the day before, like a trap. When they finally pushed through to the front of the crowd, Link froze. He couldn't take another step.

Laid out on the ground in a neat line on heavy blankets were thirteen bodies. Each was surrounded by foods and soft fabrics and a scattering of a few wildflowers that Link was sure had only recently been collected for them. They would look peaceful, lying there with serene expressions and closed eyes, if not for the blood staining them. Link felt like he was going to be sick. One of his hands fell upon his stomach, while the other flew to his mouth, as if he could hold in what wanted to come out after seeing this site. It was then that he realized Sheik's hand had left his.

Sheik had moved completely, as well as Fen. It wasn't until Link's eyes followed the line of golden heads lying on the ground that he noticed the soft honeyed-brown one, lying there at the end. His vision went black for a moment, and when it returned, all he could do was stare at the people there, clustered beside the young boy. Gilan was holding his son's head in his lap, Fen standing behind him, and Sheik had kneeled down at his side with his head bowed so low that Link couldn't see him. Over Torren's corpse.

He felt a gentle push behind him, and turned to see Osidian, the chief of Sheik's clan standing behind him, looking grim. Link knew from the few times he'd spoken to this man that he didn't speak very good Hylian, but he talked to Link all the same. "Go on," he murmured, voice low, barely above a quiet rumble. Link didn't even know he was moving, but he surely seemed to be walking forward, because the line of bodies passed by him until he was standing near Torren's bare feet.

Link looked down. Sheik's hand was on his ankle, and he was being pulled down to kneel as well. Everything was moving at an other-worldly speed. Sheik was shifting him, cradling himself into Link's chest. Link's shirt was getting damp from Sheik's tears, but he couldn't bring himself to move; he couldn't stop staring at Torren's—Tor, as his friends and father had called him-face. All his muscles were relaxed. He could be sleeping, if it weren't for the bloodied white cloth wrapped around his throat.

Link's chest hurt. Torren was... had been... He'd been a beacon. A beacon of fucking _happy, friendly light. _The quirky, energetic brunette Sheikah who couldn't speak Hylian quite right, but had loved his friends, and his family. On their journey back up through Hyrule, Link had often sat and listened while Torren explained something of Sheikahn culture to him in an excited voice, fumbling over the unfamiliar words, or proudly listed out the long list of his brothers and sisters, and the much shorter list of all the girls he'd ever kissed, or even bragged about all the mischief he and Sheik had gotten into as kids. In the very short amount of time that Link had known Torren, he'd come to care for him a great deal. It was just plain wrong that this had happened; but of course, everyone here knew that. There was nothing Link could even say or do at that moment that hadn't already been said or done. He couldn't console Sheik; he couldn't kiss his tears away and whisper that everything was going to be all right very soon, because Link was quite sure there was no way anything could ever be all right ever again.

He knew how this felt, how losing someone so very close to you could break you. He hadn't been all the way all right ever since this had happened to his mother, and Link knew deep down that it had happened to his sister as well. Now it had happened to someone Sheik loved, and Link could do nothing but quietly understand what it was that Sheik must be feeling as he gripped onto Link, his entire body shaking with loud sobs, the kind that couldn't be stopped until they'd run themselves dry. Link could only hold back onto him with a dazed sort of strength, blinking away the tears that were pouring out of his own eyes, because Torren was _good_. Torren was young and bright and happy, and he shouldn't have had to die because of hate. He had friends and family, who loved him and needed him, and the men who had stolen his life because of hatred were no better than the barbarians who'd stolen Link's happiness from him so long ago; they were no better than devils.

The world seemed to have blurred around him, and it had been leeched of its color. All the Sheikah in the tent were a dull gray, while the dead and their mourners stood out in vibrant color. Link sat there, holding Sheik as he shook, and started at Torren's father, Gilan, who had fallen into Fen's arms. Strong, proud Gilan was letting Fen cradle him like a small child. Unlike Sheik, he was trying to form words, past the sharp gasping and sobbing that he couldn't hold back. Link knew little of Gilan, but even in the short time that he'd known him, he would never have pictured the proud Sheikah man like this: crumpled, completely defeated, and crushed into dust by the death of his eldest son whom he had taken with him to war.

Fen's lips were in Gilan's hair, and he was stroking his back, listening silently, not bothering to wipe the tears out of his own eyes, even as they were landing in Gilan's golden brown hair. Link had no idea what Gilan was saying, but he didn't think he had ever seen a man so miserable.

It seemed like a lifetime before Osidian was standing with them. His hand fell on the top of Link's head, an unknown and foreign touch, but Link relished the comforting feel of it all the same. He spoke softly in Hylian, barely above a whisper. "Torren-_líta... _was the one_... _the _only _one to have died from our clan this night. And he was too young to have been taken."

* * *

It was night again. Fires lit up the camp not with light, but with more shadows. The entire Sheikah army stood vigil at the front of the camp, where the thirteen bodies had been laid on blankets, amongst more food and flowers. Torches stood at the head of each one of them, illuminating their faces. Their bodies had been washed clean of blood and grime, and each one was dressed in fresh, clean clothes. They'd been brushed with oil that smelled of lavender; the strong, sharp smell too potent. It burned Link's nostrils as he sat on his knees beside Sheik.

Link had never experienced death like this, among a body of people where there were traditions to be carried out for the dead. Everyone, aside from the most severely wounded and a few of the healers stood vigil twenty feet back from the bodies. When Link had turned back to look at them, some of their heads had been bowed, while some of them were turned up towards the stars. Those who had been close to the ones who had died kneeled around their bodies, weeping and consoling each other. This would continue all through the night.

Gilan was sitting by his son's head while Fen stood silently behind him, still weeping, but being there for his friend rather than using the time to express his own grief. When they'd first marched out of the camp to start the vigil, Link had done as Fen, and stood behind Sheik, who sat on the other side of Torren's head. But Sheik had grabbed his hand and pulled him down to kneel beside him, and he hadn't let go since.

The five hundred Terminan soldiers had arrived in the late afternoon, and were camped right alongside them. Link had thought that King Nohansen would send soldiers out at the sight of them, but the city remained silent.

Before the vigil had started, Link had sat in a tent beside Sheik and Fen, listening as all the clan chiefs discussed what was to be done. It was clear that this group of men had been a guerrilla force, and not a planned attack by the king. Still, that didn't change its wrongness, or explain why it had been allowed to happen. It was agreed upon that the next day; the nine clan chiefs would enter into the city, each one of them with an advisor, and seek audience with the king. It was then that Link stood up bravely and asked to go along. He needed to see his brother. He needed to tell him and Luca what had happened. He needed to see _family_.

They chiefs had agreed to let him and Sheik into the city with them. Sheik would accompany his people into the king's court, while Link would stay behind and search for his brother. Link was surprised at their leniency, to be honest. He was tired, and drained, and hadn't really possessed the will or strength to argue if they had of refused him.

Link had even less strength now, as he was kneeling beside Torren. Sheik was no longer sobbing, but he kept on with a steady stream of tears, and every once in a while, he would shake violently and let out a choked gasp. Every time Link would look at him, he would see such misery in his face that he would start shaking himself, crying quietly, tears renewed.

Tor's face... like before, looked so peaceful. Now that all the blood was washed away, he really could be just... sleeping. Sleeping, and when he opened his eyes to a new day, he could see his people freed. He wouldn't see any more cruelty; only smiles and laughter as he grew older and found a girl whom he'd love deeper than any other person he'd ever met. He would marry her, and they would have as many children as his father and mother before him. It would be a happy life. Torren's wife would fall for him in an instant, drawn in by his playful attitude and odd knack for uttering occasional snippets of profound wisdom. They would have more brunette Sheikah children, with sparkling, happy red eyes. Their children would never have to be torn away from their families as Sheik had been when he was called to serve, because they would be a free people. Torren would have—

Another bout of shaking took hold of Sheik. Link just stopped thinking as he rested their intertwined hands on Sheik's thigh. It had been hours... the morning would arrive soon. Link hoped that with it, it would bring a day of peace.

* * *

**Translations: **

'_**Naj **__**ö**__**s I Hylian**_**?' = 'He is a Hylian?'**

'_**Naj **__**ö**__**s menian lo hai, att**__**í**__** tife forth lohali**__**ü**__**t**_**.' = 'He is important to me, and can be trusted.'**

'_**Ganor Link**_**.' = 'Bring Link.'**

'_**Sheik, loka twi garnahlias thos fara lune nomat**_**.' = 'Sheik, thank the goddesses that you are alright!'**


	38. The King

A thousand and one sorrys for the HUGE gap in updates. I've got a million excuses, but the most prominent one is this: I was having writer's block with this story, so I started working on a bunch of other writing, and my time management kind of got away from me. But the update's here now, so I hope you will enjoy. I was very cursory in the editing on this one, so I take full responsibility for any suspicious-looking sentence structure you may find. :) Read away!

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**The Sheikah**

* * *

**Chapter 38: The King**

The story of how Torren had died was common knowledge amongst Sheik's clan now, it being mid-morning after the night of the vigil. No one knew exactly how it had happened, because Gilan wasn't really talking to anyone; but from the rumors, it was believed that Torren had saved his father's life in the last moments of his own. He'd given his life to save his Gilan's, and goddesses damn him to the ends of the earth, because of course that was something stupid, stupid Tor might do.

Sheik hunched his shoulders against the chilling wind, a bitter scowl set into his face. Link kept glancing over at him, a lost look about him. Link had been cheerless and inattentive so far that morning. Not that Sheik hadn't been. The only thing he was bothering to pay any attention to at all was his _nal__í__, but_ Link almost seemed to be disassociating himself with most of the world around him. Until about an hour ago, he'd remained in a constant state of staring off at nothing with a lost and troubled look on his face. Now he was sparing Sheik a few glances, but that was the extent of it. It made Sheik wonder... had this whole nightmare brought back the details of the deaths of his mother and sister?

Sheik himself was... well, not good, but that was to be expected. He was... ah, but were there any words for it? He _missed_ Tor, and it had barely been a day. He hated that his friend wasn't around to kid about with anymore. He hated that memories of them together as kids kept sprouting up in his mind, only for him to have to beat them back down before they broke his heart. He hated so much about what had happened. He didn't... he _couldn't_ understand what made men so cruel. After all, they had to have seen he was just a boy. A teenager. What had he really ever done to them that warranted them cutting out his throat like he was some sort of pig being slaughtered?

And the men who had attacked Sheik... they had been preparing themselves to slice him open just the same, and then he would have shared Torren's fate. He would have been lying out there in that field next to him as Link sobbed over his body. It was only because Link hadn't listened to him, and had come after him that Sheik was still alive. Torren just... he hadn't had that luck...

The clan chiefs and their advisors were gathering near the front of the camp in ones and twos, readying to walk into the city. If Sheik squinted his eyes just enough, he could make out the marks on the land where the earth had been upset to bury the thirteen victims of the previous night. The horizon looked as if some giant beast had dug its claws into the land, leaving thirteen tufts of earth scattered and upset.

Fen marched into sight then, his expression not betraying a single fleck of whatever mess his emotions were. He'd probably just come from Gilan's tent, after all, and Sheik couldn't even begin to imagine the state that man must have been in. "Link-_l__í__ta_," he said, grabbing Sheik's arm as he walked; pulling him over, closer to Link.

"Yes?" Link croaked. His voice was hoarse.

"We've managed to send word into the city, and your brother will be waiting for you at the gate."

"Oh." He blinked.

"You should go now, ahead of the rest of us. It will be better that way, I think." Fen's voice was gruff.

Sheik got an uneasy feeling in his gut as he watched Link cross his arms underneath his cloak. "Just... walk up normally, as I would if I didn't know any of you?"

Fen nodded. "I'm afraid that I—that _we_ cannot send anyone to accompany you. The ice we are treading upon on is thin enough, if you will." He cleared his throat.

"Oh..." Link's blue eyes turned up from the ground to look at Fen. Then he cast them over onto Sheik. Then… he sneezed. "Well," he murmured dully, wiping at his nose with the hem of his cloak. "Um, alright." He looked at Sheik again, opening his full lips to say something else.

But Sheik had already stepped forward and pulled Link into his chest; his one arm wrapping around Link's neck, fingers gently strumming through the soft strands of his hair. "Be careful," he said, staring intently into Link's glassy blue eyes. "Trust no one but your brother and Luca. We have no idea if anyone in there will know of your loyalties, and so we don't know if anyone will try to hurt you. I think that if they knew, they very well might. So watch your back at all times."

Link's hand grasped onto Sheik's arm. "You're crying," he murmured, reaching up and wiping a stray tear out of the corner of Sheik's eye with a rough, calloused thumb. He didn't bother to ask Sheik why. There were so many reasons why he could be shedding tears... but one was the most obvious. "I'll look after myself, I promise," he vowed.

Sheik leaned down and pressed his lips against the corner of Link's mouth, a tired sigh escaping from between the two of them. "And I'll see you later today," he murmured back.

Link's lips twitched up on either side, like maybe he was trying to force a smile, but it never came. "Maybe you'll bring back some good news from the king's court."

Fen wrapped an arm tightly around Sheik's shoulders as they stood there, watching Link walk away to the city. He disappeared into the dark stone walls after only a couple of minutes. Being apart from him only added to Sheik's apprehension, piling onto the pain in his chest.

Fen turned to glance behind him. "Looks like they're all here," he said, gazing out at the small sea of the chiefs and their advisors. "We should stand with Osidian-_n__ä__ba_." He pulled at Sheik, keeping his arm around his shoulders as they walked over to stand with their chief.

"Fen?" Sheik murmured, a question weighing heavily over him.

Fen looked down at him with a sad sort of expression. "Sheik?"

How could he get the words out? His breath hitched before he opened his mouth again to speak. "Whatever we were after... Peace, freedom... Whatever we had the potential to be, it couldn't have been worth this, could it?" He honestly wasn't sure anymore. He didn't _know_.

"Sheik..." Fen murmured. "Whenever people are forced to fight for what's right, there will _always_ be violence. There will always be hatred thrown against them, often in such cruel ways that it is impossible to understand why."

"That's just it," Sheik answered. "I _don't_ understand. I _know_ we were their servants, I know they fear us partly because of how we are trained to fight, but why do they hate? Hatred is just so strong a thing."

They paused as one of the chiefs from a different clan began to lead the way towards the castle. "In... older times, Sheik" Fen murmured thoughtfully, "Magic was much more prevalent across the land. In the last few hundreds of years, it's been in a heavy state of decline. It's more myth now than anything; but in the time of the Heroes, the Force Era, and the Sky Era—"

"What?" Sheik stared up at Fen as if he had sprouted a pair of wings.

"The Sheikah's blood used to be rich with magic, Sheik. That's part of why the Hylians began to fear us so long ago. I know you know the creation stories, because I taught many of them to you myself. When the goddesses created the Sheikah, it is said that they poured fire into our veins."

"Link said that once," Sheik murmured thoughtfully. "He said that that's why our eyes are crimson."

Fen looked seemed to consider this. "Well, he is not wrong. Our people... we are trained to fight from a very young age, yes. But we used to have much more than that in the older days. The ancestors of your ancestors."

"Magic?"

Fen nodded. "A very long time ago, our whole tribe was magic. But such things weren't as common among the Hylians. And after all, isn't it natural to fear what you don't understand?"

Sheik wasn't about to forgive generations of Hylians just because they 'didn't understand.' "Why did our people lose the magic?"

Fen shrugged. "No one knows, Sheik. It just started to... die out."

"Was it at the same time that our people were enslaved?"

Fen shook his head. "No, Sheik. Long, long before that."

"Has anyone else ever had it since it was lost?"

Fen tilted his head thoughtfully. "I have heard of a few, though I do not think there have been any for centuries."

"Well... what made them different?"

"I trust you know the story of Impa?"

"The princesses' guardian?" Sheik asked. "She was a sage. She had to protect the princess from—"

"From the Shadow Man, yes. In the Era of the Hero of Time."

Sheik caught on quickly. "Are you saying that _she_ had magic? Impa?"

Fen shrugged noncommittally. "It is rumored."

It was then, as they walked, that Sheik thought maybe he knew what had set Impa apart from the rest of them. There were no stories of her wielding great amounts of magic like there were in the really ancient myths. Her soul task had been to keep the princess of her time safe and guarded, during the seven-year long war between Hyrule and the Shadow Man. It was said that she was already a seasoned warrior when she was called to be the little princess's attendant, and that—in the absence of the girl's true mother—she had come to truly love the princess. So Sheik thought that maybe, just maybe, it was desperation that awoke the ancient magic sleeping in her veins. It was desperation; the need to save and protect her charge from all the dangers that were intent on snaring her that called that ethereal force from its dormancy to her command. Because maybe the Sheikah's magic wasn't dead at all; maybe it was sleeping.

* * *

The pageboy bowed to him before speaking in a tumble of words. "Your Majesty, the soldier from the contingent who fought with the Sheikah—."

"Yes, get on with it." King Nohansen interrupted the boy before he could say anymore. He didn't have time for anything but the point of the matter.

"Perhaps you'll remember... he arrived at the castle four days ago, and is still waiting for an audience with you, Your Majesty."

"Yes, I have been rather busy, haven't I?" he remarked in a voice that was close to sounding like a warning. "It's ridiculous, really, that this... this _freedom_ thing should spring up now of all times, when—"

"Father!" Zelda muttered from her seat in front of the desk. Her arms were crossed haughtily over her chest, and her expression looked as if it could cut through stone. "It _didn't_ spring up from nowhere, and you _know_ it! _You're_ the one who _ordered_ those soldiers into Termina in the first place!"

"To eliminate the threat of a rebel army that was threatening an invasion of my kingdom!" Nohansen thundered. "Honestly, girl! I spend more time arguing with you than I do governing Hyrule! You wouldn't be sounding so bold if those devils had of invaded Castle Town and murdered you like they planned, now would you?"

Zelda answered with a huff and roll of her eyes, turning back forward in her seat to stare out the large window behind the desk, fuming.

"Send for him, then," the King sighed, shuffling around some of the reports that were lying on his desk, trying to see if any of them had anything _useful_ scribbled on them. "I'd quite like to hear his excuses as to why things didn't go according to the report in the letter that was sent to me."

The page nodded and bowed before exiting the room.

"Why can't you just grant them their freedom?" Zelda muttered from her chair in front of his desk, not bothering to look back at him. The whole reason she was sitting there in the first place was so that she could observe some of the things a monarch did in their everyday life. The girl had to learn to run the kingdom someday, and yet all she had done since arriving in his office was run her little mouth.

Nohansen sniffed, sitting up straighter and fixing his daughter with a good hard scowl. "And why should I? They don't have it bad, you know. In all these centuries, the rulers of this kingdom have been good to them. We barely take twenty-five of them out of the desert a year. The rest are allowed to live there in their stupid sand, with their precious training and traditions. We don't bother them apart from that. This system has worked for generations, and now all of the sudden it's not good enough for those sniveling dogs? Why should I have to change anything?"

"You rip families apart," she argued, glowering up at him. Such a mean expression did not belong on a princess.

"You weren't complaining nearly this much when you got that little sand devil all those months ago." He picked up one of the reports, scanning the words on it with tired eyes. Sheikah, Sheikah, Sheikah. It was all about the Sheikah. Every single report on his desk consisted of spies reporting on the status of their camp.

"Sheik didn't want to _be_ here! I was as kind to him as I could be, just so he could see that _I_ wasn't the same as the rest of you! And you weren't _killing_ them _all those months ago_!'"

His eyes slammed up to meet hers. "As I've said before, _girl_, the ones in Termina were planning an invasion; I was merely protecting my people when I ordered their extermination. And you know full well that the attack the night before last was the townspeople. I did not order it, _nor_ do I ordain it. It was of their own volition."

"But you didn't do anything to guard against it, either! You know that they killed some of them! You saw them all standing out there around the torches last night! The men that did it need to be punished!"

"The Sheikah do not need our protection. They need our... instruction. Our... guidance. And they need a firm hand. What this whole rebellion tells me is that I shouldn't have let them linger so far from my gaze, out in that desert of theirs. I should have kept them where I could see them, and then maybe none of this ridiculous mess would be happening! Maybe then, they wouldn't have _killed_ my soldiers!"

She leaned forward in her chair. "Your soldiers killed them first!"

He pounded a fist on the desk. "Silence, girl!"

"Sire?" Nohansen looked up. The same pageboy as before was standing near the door, a tall man with a thin beard in soldier's uniform standing unsure behind him.

"Yes, fine. Go ahead," he muttered, gesturing to the soldier.

"Major Ryan, sir. Left in charge of the battalion sent to Termina."

Both the page and the soldier bowed low. Nohansen waved the man forward, shooing out the pageboy at the same time. "Yes... left in charge when the Colonel... Ballen, was it? Left in charge when Colonel Ballen rode ahead to speak with me. He promised me a lot of things, Major. None of which have come to pass. I'm sure you're here to explain _why_ _that_ _is_?" He fixed the soldier with a steely, disapproving gaze. A look that could kill.

The soldier's eyes widened. "Colonel Ballen isn't here, sire?"

Nohansen chuckled. "No. No, he left Castle Town more than a week ago. Just as soon as we received your slow-arriving letter about the battle with the Sheikah in Hyrule Field, in fact. The battle which you _lost_."

The Major had the sense to look sheepishly down at his boots. "I... I did have to order a retreat, sire. That is correct."

"The prisoner you had been keeping, the one scheduled for execution. I am also told that he escaped during the battle."

"He... did get away from us, sire. Back to his own kin in the confusion."

"Yes... he is a slippery little thing, isn't he?" Nohansen watched his daughter's face carefully as he spoke. "Truly one of the best of his kind. Slippery, sneaking, and as much as I am loathe to admit it, far more skilled than any of the soldiers I have under my command." He turned his eyes coolly back up to the Major. "Better than _you_, certainly," he finished with a smirk. "When they first sent him here, he was made to demonstrate his abilities before my court. Needless to say, he astonished us all. Even my own Sheikah guard was surprised. But I'm quite irritated to say that my guard _also_ disappeared from my service, roughly a month ago. In fact, _all_ the Sheikah in Hyrule seem to have slipped from service, apart from a few who were caught in the act and put to death."

He watched, interested, as the Major flinched at the mention of execution. Zelda was still glaring daggers at him.

"Is the answer to all this," he continued, "That they really are just... better than us? My men and women in service outnumber them, and yet we still can't seem to beat them back. What's more, Major, my men tell me that King Balistrade had offered them aide. I know this because there are currently five hundred Terminan soldiers on my doorstep, just sitting there." He barked out a laugh, causing the Major to flinch again. "They are just camped there, right outside this city. I'm sure you've seen them," he said in a patronizing tone.

"Yes, sire." The Major said, shifting his feet uncomfortably.

"I don't want a battle with them. Do you know why? I don't want to lose any more of the men than _you_ have been losing. But I have no desire to truly grant them their freedom. How do I know they won't try to overthrow the kingdom? I have no reason to believe that they will peacefully go away after the get what they want. However, we both know that if I do not give them said freedom, they will fight us for it. And if that happens, Major, if more Hylians have to die, I will _personally _eviscerate you."

The Major swallowed, nodding fervently. His fear was quite obvious. "And so I encourage you to find a solution to—"

"Your majesty."

Nohansen looked up, irritated as a second pageboy entered the room. "What is it?" he hissed in a sharp voice.

"Your Majesty." He bowed low as he spoke. "There is a group of Sheikah here to see you, sire. From the camp. A Terminan man is with them."

"They're here now?"

"Yes, sire. Waiting in the grand hall."

Nohansen hung his head, a laugh working its way out of his throat. He looked back up, shaking his head. "Send them in, boy."

The page bowed. "Yes, sire. I will fetch them."

* * *

"The King will see you now," the page said breathlessly, still half-running as he approached them.

Sheik looked up sharply. He remembered this boy from his days working at the palace. He'd spoken to him quite often. Sheik remembered those days well, before he had seen Link in the marketplace; when he'd given up all hope of ever seeing that mysterious Hylian ever again. He'd been rather fond of the pageboy. One might even have called it a crush. But of course, that was before he'd met the love of his life. He wondered for a moment whether or not the page recognized him.

"Please come with me," he said, waving them all to follow in the direction he had just come from. They snaked around the corridors, going up several flights of stairs and down long passageways. Sheik was familiar with the layout of the castle, so he knew where they were the entire time. When their rather large group arrived at the ornate doors leading to the King's study, they began filing in, one by one. There were nineteen of them, and Sheik was standing with Fen near the rear of the group, so he was nearly the last one through the door. The page remained outside, watching them all as they disappeared through the threshold.

When Sheik passed by him, their eyes met, and the page's—Benson, if Sheik remembered correctly—eyes widened. The rest of the Sheikah were in the study by now, leaving just Sheik and Benson standing outside, staring at each other.

"Hello," Sheik finally said, breaking the silence.

"It's... it's you," he breathed. "Wow. I mean, we all wondered, and then... I mean, we all heard about—" As he spoke his eyes traveled downwards to the obvious flaw: Sheik's missing left arm. His eyes widened. "Oh sweet goddesses, what happened to you?"

Sheik's lips quirked down, a sudden wave of sadness washing over him. Sure, he'd been in bondage while working there at the castle, but goddesses knew it had been a simpler time. He hadn't fallen in love with Link yet, but so many who had died were still alive back then, and—

Sheik shook his head to clear it. "I... it's a very long story." He nodded to Benson. "I'm afraid I don't have the time to tell it."

"Isn't it dangerous for you to be here?" Benson asked, eyes still wide and shiny. "I'd heard something about you being captured, and that they were going to put you to death. What if you're recognized?"

Sheik forced a smile, the pain of it stabbing in his chest. "No more dangerous for me than any of them," he murmured, nodding into the room. "I have to go. It was nice seeing you again."

Benson smiled at him. "You too."

Sheik turned and entered the room, making his way over to the side of the mass of Sheikah, standing behind where Osidian and Fen were planted. He had a clear view of the room from there, which was ideal. He could see most everyone. The King, the Terminan man, another pageboy he vaguely recognized, Princess Zelda—

Princess Zelda? What was she doing in there? It seemed the girl had noticed Sheik just as soon as he had her.

"Sheik!" she shouted, jumping up out of her chair in front of her father's desk, padding over to him quickly. Osidian and Fen parted before her, staring with something like amusement as the Princess threw her arms around Sheik's neck and hugged the life out of him. He didn't know what else to do, he was so startled, so he just sort of... stood there. But his fondness for the girl got the better of him, and he allowed himself to wrap his arm around her in return.

"You're not dead! I thought for certain you were dead, and I—." She paused, looking down. While she had been speaking, she'd made to grab both of his hands in hers; but of course she couldn't, because he didn't have two hands anymore. She looked back up at him, sky blue eyes wide and glassy. "What in the name of the goddesses happened, Sheik? They hurt you. What did they _do_ to you?"

"Girl, you will _leave _this instant!" A loud, booming voice thundered from the desk. Sheik recognized it as the King's. His eyes flashed up to meet his, and they narrowed dangerously. Zelda bit her lip in frustration, squeezing Sheik's hand and curtsying to everyone in the room before exiting.

"You, come forward!" King Nohansen barked, looking straight at Sheik. King Nohansen was a very tall man. He was strong and well-built, with golden hair long enough to be tied in a leather band behind his head, and the beady and cunning blue eyes of a wolf. A thin, off-blonde beard covered the lower half of his face.

Sheik looked to Osidian for permission. When his chief nodded, Sheik stepped forward to the front of the room; but when he did, a man he hadn't been able to see from his previous position came into view, standing to the left of the king's desk.

"You?" Ryan's jaw dropped as he beheld Sheik. "_You're_ here?" He cursed under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest. Something was clearly wrong with the man, besides the obvious. He seemed almost... fearful.

"Silence!" Nohansen barked, turning his steely gaze on Sheik, attempting and failing to intimidate him with it. In a much calmer voice, he said "You're the one, then. The one who used to guard my daughter."

Sheik raised his chin. "Yes."

"You started this whole bloody mess!" the King accused.

Sheik shook his head calmly, feeling empty and hollow. "I did not, sire. The rebels were forming in Termina long before I was ever chosen to guard your daughter."

Nohansen snorted in disdain before waving him back. Once again, Sheik turned to Osidian, waiting to receive a nod from him before he fell back behind him and Fen.

"Well why don't we just get on with it, then?" Nohansen said loudly, sounding as if the entire affair was doing nothing more than boring him. "Let us... discuss your precious freedom. But not here. My office is too small for all of you. We'll have to go to the council chambers." He stood up, pushing past them all. Ryan followed in his footsteps; but he at least had the decency to look sorry about it. "I honestly don't even see why you need to all be here when two thirds of you don't even have the capacity to understand a decent bloody language when you hear one." the King remarked snidely on his way out.

Sheik bristled at that—they all did; those who understood that they were being insulted—but they all followed behind him out. Sheik found himself missing Link more and more as the minutes trickled by.

* * *

When Link reached the gate, Davin was waiting just inside for him, standing next to a soldier; they were making idle chatter, but Davin looked rather uncomfortable about it. When he saw Link approaching, he smiled and waved, said something to the soldier next to him, and stepped past him, running out to Link.

"Hey," Davin greeted him warmly, grabbing on tight to Link's hand. He smiled half-heartedly at the soldier as they passed by him, heading into the city. "The city's been on really tight lock-down, but even more so after last night," he said, taking Link down a series of side streets. "We don't even know what happened, Luca and I, but—"

"Some people got killed," Link answered numbly.

Davin still hadn't let go of his hand, and Link wasn't quite sure why. Dav's green eyes dropped down to study at him as they rushed along the nearly-empty street. "Is that true?"

Link opened his mouth to speak, but ended up nodding instead.

Davin grimaced, but kept silent as he pulled Link into a narrow door in the side of a wall, leading him up several flights of steps before they came to one of many old, peeling doors. Davin knocked three times, looking down at his feet as he waited. Link stared at him, those few seconds that it took for Luca to open the door stretching on endlessly. Everything had changed. Why was everything changing? Link disentangled his hand from his brother's just as the door swung open.

"Come on in," Luca greeted them with a small, reserved smile.

Link walked into the tiny space ahead of his brother. Tiny... may have been giving the room too much credit. It was a mouse hole, really. Link ignored everything else and walked over to a small couch pushed up against the room's one window. He gazed outside at the empty, gray street; wondering where Sheik was.

"Link, you have to tell us what happened down there."

Link looked up. It was Luca who had spoken. He was standing in the middle of the floor, while Davin had sat down at the table. Link hadn't even heard them moving.

"Uh," Link swallowed, his throat feeling thick and clogged. "Well, uh, some men came into the camp while everyone was sleeping. Everyone was saying that they took out the sentries first somehow, and that's how no one knew they were there until it was too late. Sheik almost died, but he didn't." Link closed his eyes, breathing air deep into his lungs. "But Torren did, protecting his father, and twelve others with him."

"Torren?" Davin asked from the table. He and Luca had had several run-ins with the boy. "Goddesses, really?" he asked, staring at Link with shining emerald eyes, almost as if he were wishing that even though Link had said it, it wasn't true.

Luca just cursed angrily, turning and kicking out at a chair, sending it toppling over.

Link stared at the chair, biting his lip and blinking rapidly to keep the tears from coming out. The floor creaked, and then Davin was next to him, holding him. Out of what seemed like nowhere, Link realized that he was so, so tired of keeping himself together. And so he let himself collapse.

"Sheik took it so hard," he whimpered, grabbing fistfuls of Davin's shirt and holding him right on back. Davin pulled him tighter to him, arms wrapping around his back, rubbing, soothing. Link had all but climbed into his lap. "I've never seen him cry so hard. And you should have seen his father," Link choked out, eyes squeezing shut past the hot, fat tears sliding down his cheeks. "Fen was holding him like a baby. I mean... they just... came through and _killed_ them... Why?" Link looked up, struggling to see past the streams of water running down his face. "I don't understand, Davin. Why did this happen to _us?_ Why is it happening to _them_ now? Why can't we just be back in Ordon? With Sheik, and Luca, and Jas, and Rosalyn, and mom, and Haera, and..." He sniffed, laying his head down on his brother's chest. "I'd give my life to have all of this, _all of it_, erased. I'd give it in a second."

"I know thing are shit," Luca murmured from across the room. Both Link and Davin looked up at him. "I know, everything's so bad. But Link, don't say that. _Don't_, because things are about to get so much better. Later today, tomorrow maybe. The world is going to change, that's a promise, but the darkness always gets bigger before things get better. All of them, every single one of the Sheikah knew that this thing wasn't going to come free. It's awful; it's disgusting that Torren or anyone else that you love has to be taken from us, but we have to go on living. We have to keep working towards the brighter future that they gave their lives for."

Link shook. "But our mother—"

"Gave her life so that you didn't have to. Same as Torren did for his father. It's awful, _so_ awful that things like this happen; but they do, and we have to live with them. We have to live without the people who we wanted to see stay with us forever. You have to be there for Sheik. So don't say things like that, alright?"

Link sniffed, blinking as he stared off at the ground and thought. "I know that," he finally said. "I just... I can't see this working out anymore. I used to be able to. A few weeks ago everything seemed fine, so reachable."

"It still is, kiddo. I promise. They're reaching for it right now."

* * *

"So, where do you live?" Duncan asked jovially. He grinned at the girl across from him, his mouth stretching so wide that he thought his cheeks would split. "Can I come home with you? That would be much, much cheaper than having to rent another room for Addica and myself. Plus it will speed along our inevitable bonding! I'll remind you that we have less than two weeks to get to like each other enough to travel away from here. Well, _you_ have less than two weeks. I already like you! Quite a lot!" He finished with a grin and a wink.

Haera smiled kindly at him as she drank from her pint. That's right, the girl was drinking _beer, _not sipping daintily at a glass of wine or water! Heavens be praised! "I never bring strangers home."

Duncan chuckled warmly at that. "_That's_ what I like to here. I'm glad you don't. That's very smart of you, actually. Although I don't suppose you might make an exception? I'm very docile, I promise you."

She pursed her lips, hiding a small grin behind her glass. "I'm not sure yet. For starters, I'd like to know how in Nayru's wisdom you know my name when I've never met you before in my entire life."

Duncan frowned. How was the best way to explain that bit, exactly? He swiveled his head, looking down at Addica with a frown. Addica wasn't... well, he wasn't paying attention, for one. He was shoulders deep in Duncan's pack, looking for something. Perhaps it was better just to be out with it.

"I... am a seer, of sorts."

Haera's brow pricked up in interest as she leaned forward to rest her chin on a soft-looking, creamy-skinned hand. "A seer," she said. "You can see the future."

Duncan, for once choosing his words very carefully, took a moment before speaking. "I said a seer _of sorts_, my lady. I... I cannot just _see_ the future, although I do know a few who can. My medium, so to speak, are a person's eyes. Eyes allow you to see into a person's soul, they say." He picked his gaze up off the table and stared at her. "Well," he continued. "I've found that to be very true. I can look at someone, gaze into their eyes, and know things about them that I never wouldn't have known otherwise in a million years."

"Almost like a fortune teller, then," she surmised, her expression softening.

Duncan thought about that for a moment. The thought had never occurred to him, but— "Yes, I'd say exactly like that. Only I don't need a crystal ball. Only a pair of eyes."

"So then you learned my name from my eyes?"

"No."

"Then what was all that about leaving together in two weeks? You saw that in my eyes?"

"Again, no... And also yes." Duncan was surprised that she had so readily accepted the idea of him being a seer. Everyone knew there was _some_ magic in the world, tucked away in bits and places, but most everyone that Duncan had met had been at least _partially_ skeptical.

She cocked her head, a few strands of rich brown hair slipping from her ponytail and falling against her neck. "I don't understand. How can the answer be both yes and no?"

"Because I see it there, in you." Duncan peered wistfully into her eyes, seeing their entire future ahead of them; although the images he saw were a bit hazy. "But I saw it, I saw _you_, in someone else, long before today. I saw you, and this gorgeous, beautiful land that a whispering voice named 'Algeia,' and I saw _us_, there, together and happy, laughing."

"Who was the woman?"

"She knew you. Agnus. Apparently she lived in your village with you when you were a girl. I can do that sometimes, catch snippets of someone from people who haven't seen them or even given them any thought in years. It's a bit like a thread, actually. Imagine that everyone you know, you tie a thread around. That thread gets knotted and twined and stretched all about in ways you really couldn't imagine. Follow that thread, and it can lead you to meet some very interesting people."

"Alright, then. That's how you knew I would be here, and it's also how you knew my name. Did you also see the leaving together thing from Agnus?"

"Er... No. I... during my travels, I came across a Sheikah, who was—"

She blinked a few times, her head bobbing back in surprise. "A Sheikah? Really? Where?"

"Here, in Termina. In a little town near the border."

"What was he doing there?"

Duncan's lips pulled into a grin as he shook his head, chuckling. "I'm getting to that bit! Anyways, I looked at this Sheikah in the eyes—we'd tripped over each other in the marketplace—and I instantly sensed something there, about him. It took a bit of searching, but there was some sort of... connection to you buried there. It was so faint that I almost let it slip past me, but I caught on to it. He was connected to you by some fated, roundabout way."

Haera cocked her head—quite adorably, Duncan noted. "But I don't _know_ any Sheikah."

Duncan laughed, getting really excited about what he was going to tell her next. "No, be he certainly knows your little brother. Link." He waggled his eyebrows in a '_if you know what I mean'_ sort of way.

She didn't answer at first. Her face had gone blank as she stared vacantly over Duncan's shoulder. He gave her a minute to let it sink in. This girl had ran. She had no idea of the whereabouts of any of her family. She had no idea if any of them were even still living. She probably thought everyone from her village was dead. "Link's alive?" she said finally, her voice a hollow ghost of itself.

Duncan grinned broadly, from ear to ear. "Ah haaaaaaaah," he trilled. "And so is your other brother, and your _other_ other brother. And your father, if you're interested in that sort of thing." He chuckled.

Her face lit up like the goddesses-damned sun, it did.

"Your mother, I'm very, very sorry to say... was not so fortunate. I buried her myself, actually." Haera's face fell slightly, letting forth a small, heartbroken frown. Of course, she'd thought them all dead, all this time. Learning that her brothers and father were actually alive probably lessened the blow some, but not by much. Duncan continued anyways, wishing he could do something to lift that heartbreaking—completely kissable—frowny little pout from her pretty face. "After I spoke to Agnus in your village and learned all that I did from her—about you—I went to your house and found her there. Buried her a little ways out, in a patch of ferns. I thought that would be nice for her. I've been following the progress of your family ever since that day. And it was because of that Sheikah that I just mentioned that I got my next big clue."

Haera wiped at her nose with the sleeve of her green dress, trying to smile up at him from underneath wet eyelashes. She gasped a little when she said her next words, like she was trying to keep down the crying. Duncan couldn't quite tell if she was happy or sad. It was an amalgam of the two, he was sure; and both were fighting for dominance and control of her body. "Right... the—the Sheikah. Who knows Link?" She said her baby brother's name like it was something preciously fragile, and easily broken.

Duncan's lips quirked. "Right, yeah. They're lovers, actually." He grinned wider when her eyes widened to the size of coins.

"They're _lovers_?!"

Duncan nodded. "Aye, and quite serious about each other too, might I add. If it weren't for this bloody war they're right in the middle of, they probably would have already shacked up together. There's no doubt in my mind, actually."

"Wait..." Her eyes narrowed as she worked something out in her mind. "So did you see Link there, then, in the town?!"

"Not at that time, no." Duncan's heart _may_ have shattered a little when he saw the disheartened look that came over her. "They were apart when I met Sheik. Link was back up in Hyrule, fetching your brothers and pa, because there were these Sheikah rebels down here in Termina who were going to attack Castle Town. And from what I gathered, Link was rather worried that the Sheikah wouldn't give a damn who they were hurting once they got up there, they being so cross and all. So he went up into Hyrule—alone—to get the family and bring them back down to Sheik."

"Why alone?" she asked. "If they're lovers," Duncan didn't miss the little smirk on her lips as she said that, "Then why not go together?"

"Sheik is basically Hyrule's most wanted," Duncan supplied. "He was the princess's bodyguard. Escaped with your brother so that they could snog and shag each other in peace, I suspect. Though I gathered that they didn't become lovers until later into their journey."

She smirked again, and _goddesses_, Duncan was really, _truly_, loving every bit of this girl.

"So your brother brought the fam home to meet his Sheikah boyfriend—can't tell you that went over well, although everyone apart from your dear old dad warmed up to him well enough. Oh, and did I tell you that he brought Luca with him?" Duncan knew that she would know who Luca was well enough.

She barked out a laugh, more and more of her light returning to her eyes. "Davin's squeeze?"

Duncan's eyebrows shot straight up his forehead. "You _knew_ about them?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm his big, nosy sister. 'Course I knew. I'm surprised the whole village didn't, to be honest. Had to run away quietly from the barn with my eyes burning more than once."

Duncan burst out laughing. Addica, who had found what he was looking for—his Sheikahn book—started laughing too, although he had no idea what was going on. Little parrot, he was. "You are a delight, Haera, you really are." They smiled at each other for a moment, the images he was seeing of them in her eyes getting sharper and more defined bit by bit the more they bonded. That future was indeed coming true, if he had anything to say about it. Which he did. "So anyways, I was surrounded by your entire family—surrounded by all these visions of you—and it was during that time of staying at an inn with all of them that I learned about what you were like. Because I saw you in all of them. I'd known of you long, long before any of this, actually. Before even Agnus. About three years ago I came to this city because something told me that I needed to know the layout of the place, because there would eventually be something here that it was really important that I find. Agnus was the first time I got a real glimpse of you, though."

"I just can't believe you," she said, but there was a sparkle in her eyes that said she really did. "I can't believe any of this. It's so bizarre. This morning I was working at the seamstress shop like I have for nearly a year; and then this strange, _very_ handsome man stops me in the street and tells me all these bizarre things, invites me to dinner, and tries to convince me to take him home with me. He tells me that my brothers are all still alive, and that he's basically been trying to stalk me for the past three years. And you want to know the craziest thing?"

Duncan grinned. "What might that be?"

Her eyes were dark now; playful, but with something so much more... _delicious_ in them. "I'm seriously considering taking this man—a _stranger_—and his very short, very adorable little companion—home with me."

"In that case, I'm quite glad I haven't told you the most bizarre thing yet." Duncan smiled softly, completely enchanted with her.

"And what is that, Duncan?"

"That my whole life, I suspect, I've been meant to fall in love with you."

* * *

"I don't even see why this whole thing has become such an issue, honestly," King Nohansen muttered from his giant, ornate chair at the head of the long table.

It was Osidian who spoke. "We are here simply to end this. We will not raise our children to be plucked up from their homes, you taking as many as you need when they come of age." Osidian reached behind him, grabbing at Sheik—who had been standing quietly behind his chair—and pulled him forward. "This one. Sheik. He has been a victim. And because of your men, he lost his arm."

Sheik glanced at Ryan standing behind Nohansen. He coughed, looking incredibly uncomfortable.

Nohansen looked up at Sheik without interest, waving his had dismissively. "I don't care about your little sob story twig boy, Sheikah, so quit parading him about as if he's something I should feel sorry for. The bottom line is this: I see no reason to free any of you. There's certainly nothing to warrant it after the kind way I and my predecessors have treated your people. There is no reason for this. But since your little... rebellion, you have gone behind my—your _King's_—back, and somehow deceived King Balistrade into helping you as well."

Osidian and all the other chiefs and advisors turned to look at Fen, who sat beside Osidian. He was the expert on the Terminans. After all, he was the one who had forged the alliance with them.

"I spoke to King Balistrade and made the alliance myself," Fen said evenly. "He has every intention of aiding us in a battle against you if that is what this comes to. Like it or not, Nohansen, we will have our freedom. Your choice is whether or not we'll have to take it through bloody means. None of us want to do that, but we are prepared to if we must."

Sheik was surprised. Fen was just an advisor in a room full of chiefs, and yet he had been allowed to speak with all the authority of someone who commanded the entire Sheikah army. Sheik felt pride for him surge up into his chest.

"How bloody dare you address me that way, you Sheikah scum! I should have you hanged, drawn, and quartered for your imprudent tongue!"

"That would also incur a battle," Kyla-_n__ä__ba_ murmured from across the table. The way he said it almost sounded like a dare.

Fen was apparently having a right fun time waving his fanny in front of the king, because he kept right on talking. "I address a man with honor and respect when he is deserving of it, Nohansen."

The King's face reddened into a maddened rage, and he slammed his fist down on the table. "I look after my people! I run my kingdom well, Sheikah, no matter what you say! The Hylians are all well-cared for!"

"At the expense of a thousand people acting as your ready slaves," one of the other chiefs muttered. Sheik thought his name was Yahlin, but he wasn't quite sure. Surprisingly, though, he spoke perfect Hylian.

"You are in a completely helpless position!" said another. "Do not waste lives simply because you can for the sake of your pride!"

"We want nothing else from you," Fen spoke up again. Sheik would be amused by his boldness if he wasn't so worried. "We make no other demands than freedom. After it is granted to us, we will go back into our desert and stay there! You will see no more of us." Sheik wondered if Fen really had the authority to be making such promises.

"He is right," said Yahlin, glancing at Fen, perhaps thinking the same thing as Sheik. "We are honorable. We seek nothing else aside from independence. You will see no underhandedness or slight of the hand during these negotiations, just so long as we are given what it is we have come here for."

Nohansen's glare was shooting fire and daggers at them all. "How do I _know_ that you aren't after my land? After our women, or our treasury? From what I've seen of your lot, all you are is a bunch of sneaky and underhanded deserters and thieves! Hylians were _killed_ when the Sheikah already in service escaped from their masters. Hylians were _killed_ in that battle on Hyrule field, Hylians were k—"

"So were many Sheikah," Kyla-_n__ä__ba_ interrupted. "But there is no need for anyone else to die alongside them. That is the point we are _all_ trying to get across to you!"

Nohansen narrowed his eyes, chewing on his lower lip. He seemed to be deliberating something. Finally, after more than a minute, he spoke. "If your people are to no longer be in my service, then I don't want any of you anywhere near my land."

Almost immediately, shouts of protest swirled their way around the room; and before anyone could blink, an all-out shouting match had erupted.

"The desert is our home!"

"Not anymore, it isn't!"

"You cannot force us to leave!"

The room was in utter chaos until finally, someone shouted above it all. "Very well! We will leave Hyrule behind, if that is what it takes." Sheik wasn't sure who had said it, but many around the table looked very displeased with the idea.

Nohansen pointed a finger directly at Yahlin's chest, so Sheik assumed it had been he who had agreed to leaving and ended the shouting-match. "My conditions are this: the Terminans leave at least a day ahead of you. And my soldiers escort you off my land. _And_ none of you; you, or your children, or your children's children are to _ever_ set foot in this kingdom again! Because if you do, you _will_ be killed!"

Many—almost all of them—looked as if they wanted to protest, but surprisingly no one did. Sheik suspected that they, like him, were getting used to the idea of just... picking up and leaving. Forren-_n__ä__ba_ was the next to speak. "Then if we send the Terminans ahead of us tonight—"

"My soldiers will lead you out in the morning," Nohansen finished, looking tired and incredibly cross. Ryan, behind him, did not look much better.

The Terminan representative in the room cleared his throat. "If that is the case, I formerly request permission to leave the council early in order to ready my men. This is... awfully short notice." No one stopped him as he scooted out his chair and hurried from the room.

"Then all of us are in agreement?" Osidian-_n__ä__ba_ called out into the room, his gaze running over each of the chiefs and their advisors. Everyone nodded their heads in confirmation.

"Then very well," Nohansen snarled, violently pushing back his chair and standing up. Ryan scrambled back a few feet out of the chair's path as it fell on the floor with a resounding crack. Everyone's eyes rose to meet with Nohansen's as he looked down his nose at the lot of them. "Here's hoping that you regret this day for generations upon generations. You're a stupid lot. This... this _agreement_ was the _biggest_ mistake your people will _ever_ make!"

With that having been said, the King glided out of the room, his nose held high in the air; not sparing any of them a final glance as he graced his way through the door.

"Well, then," Fen murmured under his breath. "It is done."

For some reason, Sheik wasn't so sure. It all felt... too _easy_ to him. It didn't feel _done_. Granted, Nohansen had been desperate to avoid a battle because of the Terminans; so much so that he was sending them away early. But Sheik had never in a thousand years thought that he would just... agree, just like that, after less than an hour of deliberations. And then Nohansen just leaving like that? The whole day had built up a knot of unease in the pit of Sheik's stomach; and he could feel it tightening even now.

The best the Sheikah could hope for was to get out of Hyrule as quickly as possible. Because... it wasn't their home anymore. They would need to find a new place to call their own, but... where? Where could more than a thousand people find a home?

* * *

**Thank you for reading! I'm telling you now, there will be two more chapters of this story, followed by an epilogue, and then that'll be it! It makes me a little jittery, wrapping up more than a year's time of fic like this, but it's definitely exciting! A big thank you to all who have followed, favorited, and reviewed this story; and most of all, everyone who has stuck with it through my inconsistent updates! You all are a nicer than that incredible feeling you get when you've just beaten a Zelda title for the first time! :D**


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